‘MAINSTREAM PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MANOJ BAJPAYEE
In a chat with us at IFFI, the actor shares why commercial cinema never attracted him, his love for independent films and how OTT ‘empowered’ him
Monika Rawal Kukreja (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 27, 2023)

It has been three years since Manoj Bajpayee had a theatrical release, but the actor isn’t complaining. Instead, he has been making his presence felt in the OTT space with back-to-back releases. This year, his web projects — Gulmohar and Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai — earned rave reviews. As the films were screened at the ongoing 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Bajpayee is grateful for all the love and adulation. 

I have done very few films that gave me a chance to experience euphoria inside the theatre. Satya (1998) was one of them. It gave me a high. I would think that in this industry, I’d only get to do character roles, or play heroine ka bhai or the villain’s henchman. And suddenly, I had a career, which I never thought was possible. Then I got a high with Raajneeti (2010) and the dialogue ‘Karara jawaab milega’. Also, during Satyameva Jayate (2018), people whistled and cheered on my entry,” Bajpayee tells us the morning after his films were screened at a packed theatre at IFFI.

Ask why he feels he hasn’t done many mainstream films and the actor says the medium has never been a concern for him and all he’s cared for is good work. “In cinema, while I was dabbling in different genres, I just wanted to push and promote independent cinema and independent directors who I wanted to work with. And to do that, I needed that power for myself. So, I did a few mainstream films, got the power and then used it for my own independent films, which were quite a lot as I was enjoying my stint in independent films,” the 54-year-old says.

He adds, “I was looking for the directors because I realised that it was nearly impossible for any independent director to approach me. Also, it was evident that the mainstream people didn’t have a solid thing for me. They didn’t know what to do with Manoj Bajpayee. All they could think of me doing was [playing] a villain and that I never wanted to do. Such characters never excited me.”

And thanks to OTT, Bajpayee, who gave a masterclass on Crafting compelling web series for OTT at IFFI, witnessed an influx of diverse and experimental roles, which gave a new direction to his career. Saying that the web space empowered him, he adds, “It came at a time when the pandemic was at its peak and people were inside their houses. So, they got a chance to explore it deeply. Also, with streaming coming in, the choices became way too many [for actors]. And to my luck, The Family Man happened, which changed OTT’s demography. It empowered me. OTT was a turning point for me and many other talents.”

Making the chat with us more interesting, actor Manoj Bajpayee, who’s at the ongoing 54th International Film Festival in Goa for the screening of his films, talks about his upcoming theatrical release, Joram. He doesn’t mince his words, acknowledging that while most filmmakers would think “it’s apt for a digital release” due to the subject, the studio backing the film didn’t hesitate before taking it to the theatres, followed by OTT.

“It shows that makers now have a lot of confidence in Manoj Bajpayee and his talent. And I feel that confidence comes from what I’ve done in these four years. We (actors and filmmakers) have used the OTT medium very well to our advantage, helping expand the fan base and get the audience to watch the content they want,” he says, adding that going forward, his career is going to be a fine blend of OTT and theatrical releases.

“I’m not going to differentiate between them. The box office never bothered me in the past; it still doesn’t. It’s always about the content and the quality of the product that I am part of. This is where the buck stops [for me] because only [a project] that nobody knows how to do would get me excited [for the part]. The numbers will never decide how good the film is, and that will never change for me. My love story with the cinema will be whether it is on OTT or in theatres; it doesn’t matter,” ends the actor, who will be seen in the action-drama Bhaiyaaji next year.