Manoj Bajpai was invited by Amazon Prime Video to interview the New Zealand cricket team for a sports special .
Explaining the unlikely union Manoj says, “I am part of Amazon Prime’s famil.My association with Amazon with their webseries Family Man has proven very rewarding. It has been really exhilarating…They are going to stream all the New Zealand matches and they thought I was the best person to interview Kane and all the other New Zealand crickets male and female.”
Manoj’s interest in cricket goes back a long way. “I have played cricket very aggressively during my school days, so much so that I even had a village team in Belwa(Bihar) back then. I was an avid rigorous cricket player till the time I shifted to Delhi at age 17 to pursue my acting career,, I used to play very serious cricket.In Delhi also I’d play cricket whenever I could.And even after In shifted to Mumbai I continued to sneak in a game with the gully boys whenever I could.”
Manoj’s late father was an avid cricket fan. “I still remember him taking his transistor to the fields whenever a match was on. Like in many Indian homes,cricket was a way of life in my home. I learnt the nuances and intricacies of cricket from my father. His passion for the game was unparalleled. He wouldn’t miss the commentary of any match if he could help it.This experience with Amazon has reminded me how much of my father’s son I am when it comes to cricket. It’s a passion that runs in the family.”
Manoj speaks enthusiastically about the interview with Kane Williamson. “Conversing with Kane Williamson was a pleasure and a privilege.I have been following the cricketing journey of these New Zealand players .And why only me? You can talk to any cricket buff. He will tell you how interesting and inspiring the New Zealand team is. We all know how wonderful they are on the field. What I admire about the New Zealand team is that they are so quiet and yet so aggressive on the field.”
Manoj discovered that Williamson was as much a family man as Manoj. “The most interesting thing about the experience was that Kane came to our interview after feeding his child. He is as devoted to his family as he is to the game.So in that sense he is a Family Man in the true sense, just like me.Kane is a very reserved guy, just like me. He also has a great sense of humour. He can take a joke on his chin. He responded to all the fun questions in the right spirit. We have a lot to learn about self-deprecation from the Western world. Never take your success too seriously. I try not to.”
