Kangana Ranaut, Manoj Bajpayee and Dhanush (Asuran) took home the big titles in the acting categories at the 67th National Film Awards, which were announced yesterday. Priyadarshan’s Malayalam film, Marakkar - The Lion Of Arabian Sea, won the Best Feature Film title, while Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan was named Best Director for Bahattar Hoorain. Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s film, Chhichhore, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, took home the Best Hindi Film award. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala says, “I dedicate this prestigious award to Sushant. We can’t get over his loss, but I pray that this award gives a little bit of happiness to his family and fans, including me. And I am tremendously grateful to Nitesh for giving us this special film.”

Bajpayee, who won for Bhonsle, tells mid-day, “I thank my director, Devashish Makhija, [and producers] Sandeep Kapoor and Piyush Singh. I am grateful to everyone who believed in this film and supported it. ”

Best Supporting Actress Pallavi Joshi (The Tashkent Files) says she “wasn’t expecting” to win. “I knew that because of the pandemic, award functions weren’t being held. I assumed that they would either cancel it, or club projects across two years. When I heard Vivek’s [Agnihotri, husband and director] name, I was elated. This is his first National Award. It was a well-researched and well-written film. It took a moment for me to register my win because I had forgotten that I had acted in it. I was reminded of my first National Award win in 1994. Today is no different. This award is a big deal because it carries opinions of the finest talents. The icing on the cake is that the President gives you the award.”

The film picked up the honour for Best Dialogue. Agnihotri, who has also penned it, adds, “I was told this film has no screenplay and was too verbose. It was sabotaged after being stuck for a long time. We contributed in raising important questions about the right to truth in a democracy. When it released in 150 screens, it ran for 125 days, because the audience came to watch it. My view has been vindicated. I feel empowered to write good stuff. I dedicate this to Lal Bahadur Shastri.”

In a joint statement, the team of Marathi film Anandi Gopal, which won Best Production Design and Best Film On Social Issues, said, “We are humbled, honoured, and ecstatic. This was a labour of love; our first film and first National Award. The win has been a dream come true for all of us. We can only attribute the win to the passionate work of each and every one in the team.”

Other winners include Vijay Sethupathi, who took home the Best Supporting Actor award for Super Deluxe.

For Abhishek Banerjee, hard work and perseverance has finally paid off as he was recently honoured for his portrayal in web series Paatal Lok. The actor says it has been quite a career graph which began from doing bit roles in films to casting to now a much-in-demand artiste.

“I look at the trophy, more like I steal glances every time I walk past it. I just can’t believe ki sahi mein mere ghar pe ye hain. I am quite humbled because it is a validation of the fact that I’m on the right track. You know how it is difficult to impress. It is a very different kind of satisfaction,” he says.

Banerjee, awarded as the best supporting actor for his portrayal of the lead antagonist, looks back at his journey and muses, “Like everyone I also came to Mumbai to make it big as an actor. Then when you don’t get to do roles which you might have wanted to do in your ’20s, with filmmakers you like as they usually cast raw actors, I thought kuch problem hai. Casting became the route to survival.”

But he is proud of his journey. “Casting helps you be in the drill so I know what’s happening around. I thought to myself that now the only way to keep the actor inside of me alive is to do short films, indie films and just keep up the process. I worked with Devashish Makhija and then Amar Kaushik saw it and Stree (2018) happened,” he says.

“Then opportunities started coming in and Paatal Lok also happened. I realised only last year what going viral means, what being famous means,” he adds.

The actor and talent scout on navigating his way from conducting auditions to cracking them
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 24, 2020)

Playing a ruthless, hammer-wielding assassin in the web series Paatal Lok has turned Abhishek Banerjee into an overnight sensation. In fact, several memes have compared his onscreen avatar to the Marvel superhero, Thor. He finds the comparison hilarious. “And here I am scrubbing utensils in my briefs,” he says, referring to the mundane chores keeping him busy during the lockdown.

The 35-year-old actor has featured in numerous supporting roles in films such as Stree (2018), Bala (2019) and Dream Girl (2019). But interestingly, he’s also a prominent casting director, credited for over 70 films, including Angrezi Medium (2020), The Sky Is Pink (2019) and Student Of The Year 2 (2019). His talent firm, Casting Bay, which he founded along with fellow casting agent Anmol Ahuja, clocks 11 years in 2020.

Banerjee had his first brush with the big screen when he bagged a “crowd scene role” in Rang De Basanti (2006). Then a third-year student and an active member of the dramatics society at Delhi’s Kirori Mal College, the gig somehow led him to believe that he had “arrived”. “I felt that since Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra had seen my talent, I was sorted,” he says. When the one-scene gig didn’t translate into much, Banerjee resigned himself to conducting theatre workshops after graduation. But as destiny would have it, he caught the eye of casting director Gautam Kishanchandani, who was in Delhi with director Anurag Kashyap to scout actors for Dev D in 2008. Kishanchandani tasked him with providing dialogue cues to auditioning actors, and ultimately asked him to come to Mumbai.

And so, like countless others, Banerjee shifted to Mumbai to realise his tinseltown dreams. Queuing up for auditions in Aaram Nagar studios sensitised him to the film industry’s “disorganised” recruitment process, where the supply far exceeds the demand. “I was feeling disillusioned as an actor but had to feed myself,” he says. Following brief casting stints, he got a chance to assist Kishanchandani with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010). “I got to deliver lines meant for Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi during auditions and began to enjoy the process.”

Soon enough, Banerjee bagged his first solo casting break for The Dirty Picture (2011). The film’s astounding success resulted in a flurry of work and Banerjee set up his own talent agency the same year. “I was 24 then and had been in Mumbai for only a year-and-a-half, so it was a big deal,” he says.

Over the years, Banerjee has often been drawn to roles he was meant to cast for. While nominating himself would amount to a “conflict of interest”, at times, filmmakers have themselves asked him to take a crack at them. He recalls how director Rajkumar Gupta almost considered him for a role in Ghanchakkar (2013), but when Banerjee auditioned for it, his performance fell short and Namit Das landed the role. “I had recited the lines so many times the rawness had disappeared,” he remembers. Banerjee didn’t take this rejection well and plunged into casting gigs, while secretly “working on the craft”. “While conducting auditions, I got to act every day for eight hours with different actors… it was like a riyaz of acting,” he shares.

To test his skills, he latched onto every blink-and-miss role that came his way. “In Go Goa Gone (2013), they called me for a five-minute role for which I was paid five grand. In Bombay Talkies (2013), I just had a 10-second role but it was a learning experience,” says Banerjee.

His first prominent part came with Devashish Makhija’s Ajji (2017), a dark, modern retelling of ‘Red Riding Hood’. “I felt he was pulling my leg and just wanted me to cast for the film,” says Banerjee, who felt the role required him to shed all his inhibitions. “I was playing a child rapist. How do you train yourself to pull that off?” The critically-acclaimed film slipped through the cracks, but injected Banerjee with the confidence he needed.

Soon after, he landed his memorable turn in Amar Kaushik’s sleeper-hit Stree, where he played the role of Rajkummar Rao’s friend Jaana. “It got me in the public eye and, before I knew it, I was being considered for Dream Girl and Sujoy Ghosh’s horror film,” he says. For Amar Kaushik’s social comedy Bala, Banerjee had already lined up actors to play Ajju, the character he eventually essayed himself on Kaushik’s insistence. “Those I had shortlisted later joked, ‘tu humaara role kha gaya’.”

Today, as Banerjee juggles acting gigs with casting commitments, he says his process of scoping for talent remains the same. “I still visit theatres across the country to find talent,” he says, adding that he sometimes regrets his casting decisions when “those who crack auditions don’t follow through with their performance on set”.

What would be his dream role? “I want to play a cop once since my dad was with the CISF,” he says.

Harshada Rege (DNA; February 3, 2018)

The day I meet Manoj Bajpayee, he is battling a bad cold. Despite that, he powers through media interactions with the help of medication and his passion for his craft shines through. The National Award-winning actor is excited about his upcoming movie Aiyaary, in which he has donned many disguises for his role as Colonel Abhay Singh. In a freewheeling chat, he talks about working with director Neeraj Pandey once again, his process as an actor, and why it’s necessary to keep coming up with good content to earn respect. Excerpts…

The trailer gives us a glimpse of the many disguises that you sport in the film. How exciting was it for you? The make-up process must have been quite time-consuming?
It’s tedious, but it’s not a gimmick. That’s why the movie is titled Aiyaary. Neeraj sticks to the storyline and its requirements. Frankly, it’s difficult to come up with different kinds of physicality and mindset for every character. It’s not child’s play. But everything was worked out by Neeraj. He had a clear vision about which character comes when. I just had to be patient to go for the trial-and-look tests repeatedly. And do it all over again when the film was being shot. It’s torturous, but that’s our job (shrugs).

Do you have a favourite among them?
I am purely an actor. Everything that I do is my favourite. Colonel Abhay Singh is different with different people. The role was challenging and I took it very seriously. For me, portraying a character is not about liking or disliking it, it’s about meeting a challenge that’s thrown at you.

You have worked with Neeraj so many times now that there must be a comfort factor...
We have known each other for six-seven years but if you think that he makes my life easy, then that’s not true. He is a hard taskmaster. He is extremely clear about all the characters in his films and he doesn’t compromise on them. Sometimes, he takes your suggestion but most of the times, he flatly refuses them.

As an actor, my job is to fulfill all the expectations that he has from me. But it’s always a learning process with a director like him. His clarity of thought is something that you are scared of. You can’t fool him. You have to be ready with your explanations, answers, and excuses.

This is the first time you are working with Sidharth Malhotra. His kind of cinema has been very different from yours. How was it working with him?
It’s admirable for someone like Sidharth, who is from Delhi and a pure outsider, to make a place in mainstream cinema. Here, most people who are successful are somewhere related to each other. In that kind of a world to establish himself only calls for admiration.

After averting a clash on January 26, Aiyaary and Pad Man will release on the same day now...
We didn’t move to avoid a clash with Pad Man. When Padmaavat came in, our producer very wisely decided not to crowd January 25 and chose February 9. We changed the date with a heavy heart because our movie is about the army. It was announced seven months ago before we even started shooting. We had to choose another date because suddenly there were three movies on that day. Now, Pad Man is coming with us. If two films open in cinemas simultaneously, there’s no concern. But yes, three will definitely be a crowd.

What is your criteria while choosing a film? Do you look at the script, role, director, or production house?
I’ve always focused on a director and script. Now, I’m keen to work with new directors. Devashish Makhija, who is helming Bhonsle, met me with the script three-four years ago. I was looking for a producer for it. He had directed me in a short film called Tandav; his talent is unparalleled.

It won’t be wrong to say that the work, which you started with films like Satya and Shool, has in a way paved the path for actors like Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Do you think that all of you have managed to break the dominance of stars?
I don’t know whether or how much we have managed to do so but it has definitely made a place for those who believe in portraying characters on screen. There are actors who believe in associating themselves with the content and not just one genre. I’m so happy that the actors that you’ve just mentioned have made a place for themselves. It was a long struggle, but I’m happy that it’s peaking now. It’s only going to peak further. It will do a lot of good for the industry. See, quality gets you respect from all over the world. Commercial cinema is necessary to get money, but to get respect, it’s necessary to keep coming up with good content and giving a chance to the talent whose craft and skill is immaculate.

Actors like Pankaj Tripathi consider you as their role model. He once said that after finding your shoes in a hotel room, where he worked before becoming an actor, he kept them with himself. How does it feel like to be inspiration for such artistes?
Yes, he told me about it, too. I found it very funny because I kept looking for those shoes and wondered where I had lost them. He told me about it when we were shooting for Gangs Of Wasseypur, I was amused and flattered. When talented actors like Pankaj talk about me in such high regard, I feel blessed and grateful. I want them to keep doing good work and not compromise on their passion. Sometimes, you will get good money, sometimes you won’t. Keep your needs limited, so that you can go on doing good work.

While good content seems to be important, movies like Aligarh and Newton are often ignored at popular award shows..
It doesn’t affect me as an actor, but if award shows aren’t nominating deserving candidates, then it reflects badly on them. They are not damaging my credibility. It’s essential for them to recognise who is deserving. By not doing so, they are not making fun of Rajkummar Rao or Newton as these have already been recognized world over.

Did Aligarh bring the spotlight back to your work?
In our career, there will be films that will bring the spotlight back. Actors like me endeavour to look for great roles and portraying them to the best of our ability. At times it’s noticed, at times it’s not. But when we keep doing it, we are definitely going to turn heads at some point or the other because that’s our passion. We believe in portraying a character in its totality and giving it the respect that it deserves.

In a recent interview, you had said that you want to act in a play...
Yes, I do. I’m taking a break after August. Hopefully, then I will concentrate on doing a play.

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; February 25, 2016)

After earning accolades for his act in Devashish Makhija’s nine-minute short Taandav, Manoj Bajpayee is collaborating with the budding director for a full-length feature film under his own banner. While the project titled Bhonsle was supposed to roll next month, shooting plans have been aborted with the producers walking out of it at the last minute.

Says a source, “Manoj’s next film is with Makhija and it has an exciting story. However, the funders suddenly pulled out of it. It came as a surprise since their short film, which released earlier this month, has received rave reviews.” Taandav was centered around a police constable who finds himself torn between righteousness and temptations that dishonesty has to offer. In Bhonsle too, Manoj’s character is a retired cop, we hear.

Makhija remained unavailable for comment while a source close to the actor confirms the story, saying, “It’s an interesting script and deserves to be made. Manoj is personally trying to get producers on board since he wants to take the film on floors as soon as possible.”

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 26, 2015)

Manoj Bajpayee, who recently featured in a short film, Jai Hind, alongside Raveena Tandon, has just wrapped up another nine-minute film, Taandav, directed by Devashish Makhija. He plays a police head constable in the film.

“Constables struggle every day to support their families on their meagre salaries after working so hard. Their struggle is humongous, far bigger than what we face,“ asserts the 46-year-old actor, pointing out that the online world, that provides short films a viable platform, is growing every day. “The feedback to Jai Hind was phenomenal so I thought why not make another one?“ The shoot kicked off last Friday in Trombay and wrapped up yesterday. But for Manoj, the length of a film doesn't matter, what matters is the script. He will be next seen in Hansal Mehta's Aligarh and in Missing, costarring Tabu. “I have seen both the films and they have turned out really well. I'm excited,“ he exults.

Interestingly, Manoj will also be making a feature film with Devashish under his own banner soon. He won't reveal much except that it's a niche film with a lot of drama. “We have been trying to make this yet-untitled film since the past year-and-a-half. It will finally go on floors in March 2016. Devashish is extremely talented and I really wanted to work with him. So we thought of starting off with this short film before we embark on a full length feature next year,“ he explains.