Who Is Radoš Bajić

Radoš Bajić (born in Medveđa near Trstenik on 24 September 1953) is a Serbian actor, screenwriter, director and producer whose name has been tied to domestic film and television for half a century. He is best known as the creator and lead actor of the series “Selo gori, a baba se češlja”, which many consider the most-watched series in recent Serbian television history. He began his film career in 1975 as a young actor in “Sarajevski atentat”, and over time grew into an author who writes and directs his own projects.

According to the English-language Wikipedia, he has appeared in more than fifty films, while Serbian media report that he has played more than a hundred roles on film and television. Sources differ in how they count, but they agree that he is one of the most productive and recognizable creators of his generation. Beyond acting, he is often described as an author who can gather a large team around a single idea, as the series and films made under his name show.

Early Life and Childhood

Radoš Bajić was born in the village of Medveđa near Trstenik, a few kilometers upstream along the Western Morava. He has described his childhood as a time of harmony, order and warmth, much like the lives of other village children in an area that was only just recovering from a war that had recently ended. He has kept his birthplace as an important part of his identity, returning there regularly, and he often mentions the Morava and the Serbian countryside as themes he wants to remain faithful to in his work.

His family life was also marked by a serious tragedy. His sister Radmila died at the age of thirteen, and in later interviews Bajić spoke about how deeply that loss affected him and his parents. His attachment to family, which he often calls the main pillar of his life, dates from those years.

Education

Radoš Bajić finished primary school in his home village and then enrolled in a secondary music school in Niš. At the time he dreamed of becoming a composer and conductor, so music remained an important part of his development. As he later explained in an interview, he became an actor almost by chance, because acting increasingly attracted him.

After secondary school he enrolled at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He studied in the class of Professor Ognjenka Milićević and graduated in 1976. For his graduation project he chose his own text, the monodrama “Led” (“Ice”), written after long research into monologue forms. That idea was his first serious step into writing, which would later become one of the pillars of his career. A film titled “Led” from 2012 is also listed in filmographies under his name as screenwriter.

Beginning of His Career

The First Day of Shooting and an Injury

Radoš Bajić got his first film role at twenty-two, in “Sarajevski atentat” (“The Day That Shook the World”) directed by Veljko Bulajić. He played Nedeljko Čabrinović, one of the participants in the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne. His first day of shooting, 28 June 1975, stayed in his memory because of a serious injury. According to him, during a scene in which stunt performers played the Austro-Hungarian gendarmerie he was struck several times in the head, after which he ended up in the hospital and was later operated on. Director Bulajić and actor Miloš Kandić were part of that crew, and Bajić still enjoys telling the story as an unusual start.

First Roles in Partisan Films

After his debut, new engagements followed in popular war films of the period. He appeared in “Vrhovi Zelengore” by Zdravko Velimirović, as well as in “Partizanska eskadrila” by Hajrudin Krvavac. Later he acted in “Sokol” (“The Falcon”, 1981) and “Sabinjanke” (1982). For a long time he played romantic heroes, and in the youth magazines of the time teenage girls compared him, as he remembers it, with Zdravko Čolić. Director Lordan Zafranović once told him he had not cast him because he was “too handsome”, which pushed Bajić toward writing.

Rise to Popularity

In the 1980s Radoš Bajić consolidated his place in Serbian cinema. He was the narrator of the television series “Oj Moravo” (1984), and made a notable appearance in the series “Vuk Karadžić” (1987–1988), in which he played Sima Milutinović Sarajlija. As a screenwriter he signed “Tragovima kosovskih junaka” (1989). At the beginning of the 1990s he appeared in the films “Sveto mesto” (1990) and “Dezerter” (1992), and in 1995 he played the role of Sekula, which brought him closer to a wider audience.

By that time Bajić was already a successful author as well, and he described writing as the occupation in which he feels most comfortable. He worked as a freelance artist, without a single day of employment in any institution. He often stressed that he was a “firm” in himself, which in practice meant he was personally responsible for every engagement and every project.

Years Away from Film (1996–2006)

From 1996 to 2006 Radoš Bajić took a break from work. According to his interviews, in the 1990s he was a popular actor, and after he declined an offer to join a political party he was left without engagements. In those years, he said, he made a living through work outside acting and struggled with uncertainty. During that time his wife Milena played a major role in his life.

He emerged from that period with the very project that would bring him the greatest popularity. His return was marked by the series “Selo gori, a baba se češlja”, which put his name back at the center of the audience’s attention.

“Selo gori, a baba se češlja”

The series “Selo gori, a baba se češlja” aired from 2007 to 2017 and quickly became a television phenomenon. Radoš Bajić was its screenwriter, director and actor, playing the character of Radašin. His television wife Radojka was played by Ljiljana Stjepanović, while the series also starred Milorad Mandić Manda, Dragan Nikolić and Mirko Babić. According to media reports, the role of Judge Velibor and Žota was originally meant for Bogdan Diklić, but he turned the offer down, as did some other actors. The roles nevertheless found the right performers, and the series kept its charm and popularity.

In interviews Bajić said that filming the series took a thousand days and that it is a capital work of his career. The series is still regularly rerun on Radio Television of Serbia, and Wikipedia describes it as the most-watched series in Serbian history. The film “Selo gori… i tako” (2009) carries the story to the big screen, and according to the IMDb database, a continuation titled “Selo gori a baba se češlja – I tako” appeared in 2025, with Bajić as screenwriter and director.

There is also a personal dimension to this project. Bajić said that he carried his wife Milena’s battle with breast cancer into the series through Radojka’s life story, a part of the plot that audiences remember especially well.

Director and Screenwriter of Historical Projects

Ravna gora and Za kralja i otadžbinu

After the success of the comedy, Radoš Bajić turned to historical themes. The television series “Ravna gora” (2013–2014) was his first work devoted to the Second World War from the perspective of the Ravna Gora movement of Draža Mihailović, and the film “Za kralja i otadžbinu” (“For King and Fatherland”, 2015), which premiered on 23 March at the Sava Centar, grew out of that material. Bajić emphasized that with it he opened a different view of that period, although some critics judged the film insufficiently successful.

Heroji Halijarda and Vazdušni most

The most ambitious directorial undertaking of Radoš Bajić is the film “Heroji Halijarda” (“Heroes of Halyard”, 2023), inspired by the rescue of Allied pilots behind enemy lines, known as Operation Halyard. Filming began in the village of Nemenikuće on the slopes of Kosmaj, and the television series “Vazdušni most” (2024) was made at the same time. A preview screening was held on 15 September 2023 in Gornji Milanovac, at the commemoration of the 79th anniversary of the operation. In his statements Bajić said he worked on the film for five years and considers it the crown of his career.

The film also caused controversy. Some critics judged that the project promotes historical revisionism, while Bajić rejected such claims and said that his intention was not to glorify anyone but to tell the story of the people who rescued the pilots. The weekly “Vreme” assessed it as his most ambitious and most successful cinema direction up to that point.

Čuvar ikone Svetog Đorđa

The film “Čuvar ikone Svetog Đorđa” (“Guardian of the Icon of St. George”) was directed by his daughter Jelena Bajić Jočić, from a screenplay by Radoš Bajić. In the film he plays Stanoje Reljić, and the cast also includes Miona Marković, Aleksandar Đurica, Branko Janković, Slaviša Čurović, Vjera Mujović and Nedeljko Bajić. The film has brought Radoš Bajić several awards at festivals in Serbia and abroad.

Greatest Achievements

• “Selo gori, a baba se češlja” – a series regarded as the most-watched in the history of Serbian television.
• “Sarajevski atentat” – his first film role (Nedeljko Čabrinović, 1975).
• “Vuk Karadžić” – a notable television role as Sima Milutinović Sarajlija.
• “Heroji Halijarda” – his greatest directorial undertaking, which he himself calls the crown of his career.
• “Čuvar ikone Svetog Đorđa” – a film for which he received several awards for best male lead.
• Authorship – screenwriter and director of several series and films, including “Ravna gora”, “Za kralja i otadžbinu”, “Braća po babine linije” and “Šifra Despot”.

Private Life

Radoš Bajić has been married to his wife Milena for fifty years, and she rarely appears in public. They have two children, a daughter, Jelena, and a son, Nedeljko. Bajić often stresses that Milena is largely responsible for his success, calling her his pillar and an exceptional woman. According to media reports, the couple started their life together modestly and later celebrated fifty years of marriage.

The most difficult moment for the family was Milena’s battle with breast cancer. According to media reports, the treatment lasted 288 days, and Bajić called that period the hardest of his life. His attitude toward family is best seen in the decision he made when, as reported, the doors of Hollywood were opening to him. He did not want to go without his wife, so he stayed in Serbia. Later he said he never regretted it, because between life and fame he had chosen life.

Bajić lives in Belgrade, in a house where, as neighbors say, he is quiet and sociable. He is known as an early riser. He likes to spend his vacations in his home region. He has also published a monograph, “Moj život – moja priča” (“My Life – My Story”), in which he speaks about more than four decades of work. He has publicly said goodbye to colleagues, among them Žarko Laušević and Meto Jovanovski, and often speaks about his friend Milorad Mandić Manda, whose company, as he says, he misses greatly.

Interesting Facts

• His first day of shooting, on 28 June 1975, ended with an injury and a stay in the hospital.
• As a young man he dreamed of becoming a composer and conductor, so he attended the music school in Niš.
• He graduated with his own monodrama “Led”.
• By his own account, he has never been employed in an institution and has never taken a day of sick leave.
• According to him, the filming of “Selo gori, a baba se češlja” lasted a thousand days.
• The characters of Radašin and Radojka were inspired in part by his own life.
• His daughter Jelena Bajić Jočić directed a film for which he wrote the screenplay.

Awards and Recognition

• Order of St. Nikolaj of Žiča (Orden Svetog Vladike Nikolaja) – a Serbian Orthodox Church decoration from 2011.
• Order of St. Sava (Orden Svetog Save) – the highest recognition of the Serbian Orthodox Church, presented to him by Patriarch Irinej for outstanding results in film and television production and lasting contribution to preserving the spiritual values of the Serbian people.
• “Pavle Vuisić” Award – recognition of the Association of Film Actors of Serbia for exceptional contribution to acting, presented at the 53rd Festival of Acting Achievements “Filmski susreti” in Niš.
• Belovodska rozeta – an award for his overall work in film and television art.
• Grand Prix “Zlatni Naisus” – the highest recognition of the first International Film Festival in Niš, for the role of Stanoje Reljić in “Čuvar ikone Svetog Đorđa”.
• “Golden Knight” (Zlatni vitez) – the Golden Diploma for best male role at the 35th International Festival in Sevastopol.
• “Aleksandar Lifka” Award – recognition for domestic creators at the 33rd Palić European Film Festival.

Legacy and Influence

Radoš Bajić has left his mark as one of the few domestic authors who for nearly four decades managed to maintain continuity as an actor, screenwriter and director alike. The series “Selo gori, a baba se češlja” became part of everyday speech, and its characters and lines remain recognizable even among generations who did not watch it when it first aired. The other part of his body of work consists of projects devoted to historical themes, which also caused divisions in public opinion but attracted great attention from audiences.

His influence can also be seen in his family. His daughter Jelena Bajić Jočić has continued working in film, and their joint projects show the continuity of an authorial style. Bajić himself stresses that his goal is to preserve the Serbian village, tradition and culture through film and television art.