Manoj Bajpayee on how his villain act in Love Sonia took a toll on him
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 23, 2018)

After playing a morally upright cop in the recently released Satyameva Jayate, Manoj Bajpayee is exploring the other end of the spectrum with his next release, Love Sonia. The actor admits that slipping into the character of Faizal — who is at the forefront of women trafficking — was a "hellish experience", given the dark nature of the subject.

"I have played negative characters before, but they weren't as evil as Faizal. Since the issue of women trafficking has always been close to my heart, I wanted to be part of the film. It's the most horrific crime happening in this world, and doing a film on it was my small way of fighting the issue. But it was hard to understand my character's logic and the motive behind his actions," says Bajpayee of his role in the drama, that has done the rounds of several international film festivals, including Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and London Indian Film Festival.

Having essayed a variety of roles in his over-two-decade-long career, Bajpayee insists that playing a negative character with conviction serves as the true test of an actor's skills. He adds that understanding the twisted mind of Faizal took a toll on him. "I have gone through hell to portray some of the sequences. My character is so evil that at times, I just wanted to disassociate myself from the project. Love Sonia is one of the most complex roles that any actor could get; it pushed me to the brink of a breakdown."

While the Tabrez Noorani-directed venture, which also features Richa Chadha, Freida Pinto and Mrunal Thakur, is being applauded in the international circuit, Bajpayee jokes that he will have to face his biggest critic in wife Neha. "At this point of time, I don't want to show it to Neha. She's a feminist, and I know that she will be disturbed for many days after watching the film."