Manoj Pahwa on his relationship with wife Seema Pahwa: ‘I can’t open my mouth in front of her’

Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak’s Home Shanti is receiving a positive response. In the series, Manoj and Supriya play a middle-class couple with a dream to build their own house. In the series, we also see how Supriya is the primary decision-maker of the family. She takes care of most things, and her opinion matters. In a conversation with , Manoj Pahwa revealed how Supriya’s character is close to his wife Seema Pahwa. “There is a lot of similarity (between Supriya’s character and Seema in real),” he said. Remembering how they had lived in a 1BHK house in their early days in Mumbai, Manoj said he fulfilled his job giving his wife and kids a shelter but Seema made it a home. “We clearly defined the departments. Ghar, bacchon ka decision was mostly in her department (Kids and the house is taken care her),” he added.
When asked about their camaraderie, Manoj revealed that Seema is the boss lady in and outside the house. “Ghar pe ya bahar, ussi ki chalti hai. She is a senior actor. She started working as a child art with her mother. Uske saamne muh nahi khola jaata, ek minute me utaar deti hai woh (I cannot say anything in front of her. She can make me grounded in a second),” Manoj Pahwa said, adding she is very blunt with her criticisms about his work. “She says, ‘Tumne aisi bakwas acting kari hai. Tum better kar sakte the (You were terrible. You could have done better). I don’t have to go out, my family is full of critics. I get scared to tell them to watch any of my films because if they would, they will take out 36 faults in it. If I get a script, I discuss it with Seema. As she is a director too, she also guides me how to act and how to hone the skills. Yeh alag baat hai ki baad me I take the whole credit,” he chuckled.

As the conversation continued, Manoj Pahwa expressed how he is glad that filmmakers’ gaze has changed towards him. He thanked Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk and Article 15 for changing his career’s trajectory.
He stated how he picked up roles initially to survive in Mumbai. “When I stepped into the city of dreams (Mumbai), I had crossed a certain age. And of course, I had to survive here. The house was small, I had to look after my wife and the kids. So, whatever came my way, irrespective of the screen time, I kept doing it. Sometimes, I would get disheartened that I am getting 3-6 days role. But I did good work on television and of course, theatre was there. But the trajectory of my career changed with Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk and Article 15. People even praised me for Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi. These performances were far away from what people had seen of me. They were not just comedy roles. The industry started to look at me differently after these films. They started noticing how complete I am as an actor,” Manoj Pahwa stated.
“I have done a film called Mili with Boney Kapoor. It shows a beautiful father-daughter relationship. So, when I worked with Boneyji some 15 years back, he had told me that I am a very good actor and comedian. Now, 15 years later, he asked me to watch a Malayali film. He briefed me about the role and complimented how I am not just a comedian. Thanks to Anubhav Sinha who broke my image. Otherwise, who would have made it happen?” he continued.
When questioned if he ever felt that the change in gaze took a lot of time to happen, Manoj replied, “I think everything happens on a particular time. I am happy with everything I have been part of. And I do believe that you will get your due. Yes, I used to feel bored at times but I never gave up and gave my 100%. Abhi I am more charged towards work. Now I am also paying attention to my health and trying to work out.” On that note, before concluding, we asked him about his video with Varun Dhawan, which went viral on the social media platforms. “Arre yaar, wo bohot chalu hai. Bohot shararati hai (He is very naughty). Usko I told not to post. We were at the gym together,” Manoj said adding that his next with Varun is Nitesh Tiwari’s Bawaal, which he said is a “very fun” film.