A subtle romantic: Manoj Bajpayee shares it was ‘love at first sight’ with wife Shabana Raza

Manoj Bajpayee recently shared some insights into his personal life, revealing that his romance is as subtle as his performances. The actor also shared that his relationship with his wife actor Shabana Raza – popularly known by her stage name, Neha –  is not just a conventional cheesy affair and is a lot more than the exchange of routine “I love yous.”

In an interview with Humans of Bombay, Bajpayee exclaimed that he’s not a typical lover boy in real life. Divulging his personal life, the actor stated that he is not a conversational or romantic person, but his love language is rather subtle. “Because that’s how we define romance – how a hero woos a heroine. I am not that kind of romantic. My romance is as subtle as my performances,” he said.

However, it will be fair to say that their love story is one for the books! Narrating the story of how he fell in love with Raza, Bajpayee said that it was “love at first sight” for both of them. The couple first met at director Hansal Mehta’s Khana Khazana’s 100th episode party, where Bajpayee was immediately mesmerised by her.

“To my luck, she loved spending that evening with me. I was completely mesmerised. Not only with her beauty but also with the fact that she was there with oiled hair, at such a big party and didn’t care about what others are going to say! The real person inside her really impressed me more than her beauty,” he recalled.

Bajpayee further reiterated that their love story was not a typical “filmy” one, with candlelight dinners and declarations of love. Instead, it was a deep and well-rounded relationship based on shared values, integrity, and politics. “There are other things which should match. Your politics, ideas about life, values, integrity. These are the things which are far more important than I love you and you love me,” he explained.

Finally, when asked what advice he would give to newly married couples, the Family Man actor said, “Love is difficult. It is very difficult. You have to shed off your ego, your arrogance, and everything about yourself. Only then can you stay for long in a solid relationship called marriage,” he concluded. Bajpayee and Raza have been married since 2006 and are parents to a daughter together.

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