Manoj Bajpayee is a doting ‘family man’ in real life too! He is a loving husband to his wife ‘Shabana’ and a father to their daughter ‘Ava Nayla.’ Shabana who was also known as ‘Neha’ has been a popular actor back in the late 90s and earlier 2000s. She made her acting debut opposite Bobby Deol in the film ‘Kareeb’ released in 1998. Soon after that, she romanced Ajay Devgan in ‘Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet’.
There was no need to change it, but nobody listened to me- Shabana
Shabana has also worked with Hrithik Roshan in ‘Fiza’ which released in 2000. The actor was popular with her name as Neha and when asked about it, she had told Rediff, “I was never Neha. I was always Shabana. I was forced into changing my name too. I was not okay with it at all. My parents proudly named me Shabana. There was no need to change it, but nobody listened to me.” While talking about her love story with Manoj, she had said, “Manoj and I go back a long way. We met each other just after ‘Kareeb’. ‘Kareeb’ and ‘Satya’ released within a month of each other.” She added, “Manoj and I understand each other well. We do not mix our professional and personal lives. We have a very healthy relationship.”
Shabana is the most beautiful for me- Manoj Bajpayee
Manoj Bajpayee and Shabana got married in the year 2006, and they are blessed with a daughter named Ava Nayla Bajpayee. Back in 2016, when Manoj Bajpayee was asked about his wife’s comeback to acting, he told Rediff, “She will be as soon as our daughter grows up a little. Right now, she is open to doing ads and other short-term stuff so that she can concentrate on the child.” When asked if he has watched film ‘Kareeb’, Bajpayee had said, “I think Kareeb was fantastic. I think, she is the most beautiful for me.”