Manoj Bajpayee on why he initially turned down Tabrez Noorani’s directorial and what makes a fi lm about a police constable exciting
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 11, 2018)

It’s not easy getting Manoj Bajpayee to give his nod to a role. When the makers of Love Sonia, David Womark who had earlier produced Life of Pi and director Tabrez Noorani, approached him for a special appearance, to play Faisal who trafficks young girls, Manoj turned them down pointing out that the role had no shades of grey and a stark black or white character is of little interest to either the actor or the audience. “But they kept returning to me through Mukesh Chabbra (casting director) who is a dear friend and after I offered my opinion, agreed to certain changes I suggested to make the character more real and believable as a human being rather than someone from another planet,” informs the National Award-winning actor who continued adding and subtracting even on the sets. “Though he is trading in human flesh, Faisal treats it like a business. He can be a father, brother, mentor and friend to these girls he sells, but if you mess with him, he will come after you because he has to safeguard his products,” Manoj explains with practical calm that is chilling.

Basking in the appreciation he’s getting for his just released film — “the kind of compliments I got during Aligarh” — Manoj has his hopes pinned on the upcoming Bhonsle which will have its world premiere at the Busan Film Festival. He plays a retired, terminally ill head constable trying to find purpose in life and the film revolves around his new-found relationship with his neighbour, a young migrant nurse. “It’s a relationship which cannot be defined in words as it’s neither romantic nor sexual. I’ve been a part of the project since the script came to me almost five years ago. I’m one of the many producers and with Bhosle, I’m taking baby steps in this field. We will take it to all the festivals, it’s a beautiful film,” he says.

The actor who is currently in Leh shooting a show, The Family Man, has just returned from a month-long vacation in Los Angeles with wife Shabana and daughter Ava Nayla. “I managed to combine family time with some meetings,” he informs. Any new Hollywood film in the offing, you wonder, and he laughs, “Nothing to make headlines about right now.” And what about the Satyameva Jayate sequel? He surprises you by saying he doesn’t know anything about that. “Anyway everything depends on the script, it all begins and ends with that,” he says