MUMBAI: Manoj Bajpayee has had a hectic four months, having shot for his debut film Bhaiyya Ji and released two films, Killer Soup and Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout. During this, the actor hosted the third episode of Neeraj Pandey's documentary series Secrets: Secrets of the Buddha Relics. It claimed the #1 rank among Discovery+ programming in April. The actor said he felt like a relative novice in the production, and finds that encouraging.

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“I had never anchored before. I started with the first season as a newcomer. Through the series, I learnt [more about] voice, speech and how they are essential to storytelling. I had attended those classes as a theatre actor. That education paid off during the three seasons of this show,” he says.

History has always fascinated Bajpayee. So, when Secrets of the Buddha Relics—which explores the origins, cultural significance, and stories surrounding the relics that are at the center of Buddhism—came his way, he jumped at the opportunity. Luckily, he got more than he bargained for. The docu-series also became a platform to go beyond acting.

“A series of this nature comes to life after many years of research, animation and editing. My job starts after that. It has been tedious and beautiful. Making it engaging for the audience through speech is a skill, and I learnt it purely on this show. It gave me a chance to do something beyond being an actor. With this, I did something over and above my regular line of work; I got to go away from my everyday life.”

The actor hopes to return for another episode. He is glad he joined the documentary bandwagon early, especially with a seasoned creator-showrunner like Pandey, as the genre is flourishing.

“Secrets makes me feel educated for the period I’m working on it. This show is indicative of the untapped potential of the documentary format. I have no idea how Neeraj Pandey plans to take the show ahead. I am always available for him, I admire him greatly as an artiste and a thinking mind.”

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