Showing posts with label Joram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joram. Show all posts
Manoj Bajpayee on losing National Award to Shah Rukh Khan: "It’s a useless conversation"
8:33 AM
HINDUSTAN TIMES (September 16, 2025)
Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s win at the National Film Awards for Best Actor for his performance in Jawan (2023) has stirred both jubilation and debate. While fans of the actor have flooded social media with congratulatory messages, a section of critics and cinephiles questioned the jury’s decision, some arguing that actor Manoj Bajpayee’s intense portrayal in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023), among others, was more deserving of the honour.
Breaking his silence on the comparisons, Manoj dismissed the backlash surrounding the award decision. While speaking to India Today, the 56-year-old said, “It is a useless conversation because it is gone. When it comes to Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, yes, it is a very special film in my filmography, and so was Joram (2023). But I don’t discuss these things because it is a very loser conversation. It is in the past, and it should be left alone.”
Manoj, a four-time National Award winner, has also raised concerns about the evolving nature of film awards in India. He suggested that many awards, including the National Awards which are awarded by the government, may be losing their artistic credibility in favour of commercial appeal.
He said, “It’s not just about National Awards, it’s about all the awards that used to be revered. They should seriously think about how they are operating. Because it is not about my respect, I take care of my respect very cautiously when I’m choosing a film, but each and every organization has to think of itself. That’s not my job.”
He added, “I think for me, the idea of an award show is wrong. It is just a piece of decoration in your house. Every day, you’re not going to stand in front of it and say, ‘Wow, I got this’.”
Ask anyone who won a National Film Award last year, and most won’t remember-Manoj Bajpayee
4:11 PM
Sonal Kalra (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 6, 2025)
Actor Manoj Bajpayee is making waves for his trademark knack of playing middle-class men and turning the ordinary into unforgettable stories in his latest release, Inspector Zende. Now, he is reuniting with filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma after 27 years.
Manoj, 56, joined Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Entertainment and Lifestyle, in this week’s episode of The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra, and opened up on the money struggles of actors across mediums, and how passion, not validation, drives him.
If someone wants to be the next Manoj Bajpayee, what do they need to do?
Very difficult shoes to wear (laughs). I’ve been crazy about acting since I was 10 and I still am. I’m not giving any gyaan, nobody wants that. [But] today, too, I feel every great role should only come to me and no one else. If you want to buy a nice car, live in a nice house, wear good clothes, or tour the world through your acting, don’t go for it. The ratio of people who achieve that is very low. The passion for your work must always be present. If you want to act because without it you might die, then come.
You’ve received many awards. Have you ever felt bad about losing one?
That’s very difficult to judge. Ask anyone who won a National Film Award last year, and most won’t remember. But they’ll remember Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and Joram (both 2023) as great films, even though they didn’t get any National Awards. What matters to me is how great the films are and how proud I am of my work. Awards are for one evening; your work will be remembered. You can’t get an award to validate your work; if you are doing that, it’s a great injustice to yourself and your films.
OTT stars have the same fame as theatrical stars, but when will they be paid like them?
I never get paid (laughs). And nowadays, even those in theatres aren’t getting paid like they used to because of the risk and budget constraints. On OTT, I’ve been busy for seven years. The biggest advantages are out-of-the-box stories and actors getting respect, and writers and directors getting employed; it’s a win-win situation for all of us, including the platforms. Theatres are slowly making a comeback, but budgets are lower. I really want all mediums — films, OTT, and satellite — to do really well. If they do, there won’t be a monopoly, and that will only be good for filmmakers, actors and all creative departments.
Fans are excited about you reuniting with Ram Gopal Varma after 27 years. What was it like?
I’ve finished one schedule, and I am completely zapped. He is the real OG (laughs). This guy has not gone anywhere; he is going to be back, and how! Ramu’s ability to go beyond anybody’s imagination as a filmmaker, his courage, and his audaciousness have not changed! But he has become very inclusive. Unlike the Ramu I saw and experienced during Satya (1998), Shool (1999) and Kaun? (1999), this one is like a three-year-old kid in a candy store. And even today, he sits down with you and tells you what has gone wrong with him in all these years. The output so far is mind-blowing. A director like Ram Gopal Varma can always come back and throw you out of your alignment; he is that kind of talent.
Which of your roles is closest to your heart, discounting their commercial success?
I’ll be the last person to keep the commercial thing in mind. Very few films of mine have been theatrical hits (laughs). My own personal favourites are Gali Guleiyan (2017; Prime Video) and Budhia Singh (2016; Netflix). Of all the cop roles, Inspector Zende is the most chilled out and realistic. And Jugnuma; I’ve spent seven years on this film, and it is now about to release. It started filming before lockdown, and when we went back, the Delta variant of Covid hit. Somehow, we completed the film. It had a great festival run. That film is very close to me, like Inspector Zende.
The trailer of Inspector Zende looks very interesting. Tell us something about him.
Inspector Zende is a celebrated police officer in Maharashtra for some impossible tasks he accomplished, but the rest of India doesn’t really know him. (Producer) Om Raut’s father always wanted a film on him because he caught an international criminal. But as we researched, we realized his story couldn’t be told as a grim film because he’s such a chilled-out man. I’ve been told he never fired his pistol, yet solved incredible cases — releasing trapped police officers, rescuing people from the mafia. His life deserved this tribute.
Was the team concerned about humour diluting the seriousness of the role?
Nobody is trying to create a comedy here. But everything that will happen will compel you to laugh. Zende was a regular 48 or 49-year-old middle-class man with a team of lower-middle-class policemen. Before their Goa mission, nobody had ever been on a flight. In Goa, they had to blend in but the team doesn’t even have money, so they took an accountant to track expenses. That leads to a very comic thriller. None of us is trying to be funny, but the way things unfolded is very funny.
I don’t come from a background, where I don’t have to worry about financial security-Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub
10:16 AM
Kanneda actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub on why he features in certain projects, despite his characters being poorly written
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; March 18, 2025)
Typicality has never attracted Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub. So, when the role of an atypical cop came his way, thanks to the upcoming series, Kanneda, he jumped at it. “Generally, cops are shown as strong. The novelty of playing a vulnerable cop excited me,” says the actor.
His 14-year filmography is laced with such unusual characters—from Article 15 (2019) to Scoop (2023). But Ayyub admits that he is often offered parts that aren’t fleshed out.
“The character isn’t strong, but I see that we can build it while performing. In Scoop, I enjoyed exploring my character as it was well-written. The problem is when your role has nothing, but you are told, ‘You’re a good actor, do something with it.’”
In such cases, what makes him pick the project? “I don’t come from a background, where I don’t have to worry about financial security,” he says candidly, admitting that sometimes the kitchen takes precedence over the craft.
“It’s only after a 14-year run that I feel I’ll be financially settled in the next few years. Then I’ll tell people, ‘Excite me with the script, or I won’t do it.’ You have many reasons to say yes to a project; sometimes you’re getting paid well for a 10-day shoot. I choose it so that I can do an indie film like Joram [2023].”
What else do people expect from a Joram? It can’t become a blockbuster-Manoj Bajpayee
8:16 AM
Unfazed that his maiden production is releasing in a volatile market, Manoj says people want to see heartland stories like Bhaiyya Ji and not urban films
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 16, 2024)
At one point in our interview, Manoj Bajpayee abruptly pauses our chat because he remembers he had to make a call two hours ago. That is just a glimpse of how swamped he is as a first-time producer. The actor is not only leading Bhaiyya Ji, but also turning producer with it—a role that he describes as “a hell of a job!”
“As an actor, when the shoot is over, the film is over. But here, the work starts early and it ends way after the release. I’m taking baby steps, trying to get a hang of it,” he smiles, visibly happy about the next chapter in his three-decade career.
The idea is to produce all kinds of stories, some that won’t even star him. “The purpose is to find fresh voices, new directors and talent. I want to give people a chance to tell their piece. I don’t want to be genre-restricted; middle of the road, massy, indie, I want to create a home for every story. It’s important that storytellers get the space to tell their tales how they want to and be treated with respect.”
For his first step in that direction, the actor-producer has reunited with Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023) director Apoorv Singh Karki. With Bhaiyya Ji, the duo has designed a masala action fare set in Bihar. It is a monetarily turbulent time with most movies under-performing at the box office, but Bajpayee is unperturbed.
“Call it my naïveté or faith, but selling a film isn’t such a tough job as people make it out to be. Get the budget right. I’ve tried to make sure that every stakeholder feels safe and happy. The industry is in a flux. So, the solution is to plan well, stick to the budget, get a good story, make the best film you can and minimize risks, but certainly make the films,” he explains.
To him, the action fare—also starring Zoya Hussain—has the advantage of being a story rooted in Indian culture. He believes that is what the Indian audience is seeking.
“If we are to get past this phase [of uncertainty in movies], we should go back to our stories. Stories should be rooted in our world, and the hero has to represent the people of the country. I believe this is why south Indian films are working; their emotions are pure, they are rooted in our culture and people relate to the protagonist’s fight. Our [Hindi] films are set in urban areas and most of these characters are alien to the country’s masses.”
A few weeks ago, Bajpayee’s acclaimed work Joram (2023) was the subject of a social-media furore. On behalf of director Devashish Makhija and him, netizens were angry that the thriller was released on YouTube. Was it not getting OTT takers?
The actor clears the air, stating, “People took past interviews where Devashish had spoken about how hard it is to make an indie film, and posted them on social media. When the news came, the film was running on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and then Zee Music released it on YouTube. It is being watched and recovering money. What else do people expect from a Joram? It can’t become a blockbuster! People like Devashish and I make a Joram because cinema is art for us. What hurts me is that despite winning love from people, the film hasn’t been getting many mainstream awards. When it comes to giving respect, films like Joram are forgotten. It happened to me with Pinjar (2003) too. When I won the National Award for it, I felt there was some poetic justice.”
Showing that every human irrespective of the class is vulnerable was fulfilling as an actor-Manoj Bajpayee
11:04 AM
Showing that every human irrespective of the class is vulnerable was fulfilling as an actor
Syeda Eba Fatima (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 27, 2023)
With remarkable performances in Gulmohar, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and Joram, Manoj Bajpayee surely had a great 2023. Besides earning critical acclaim and several awards, the actor created history as Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai became the first film to release in theatres after a successful run on OTT. Looking back at the year, Bajpayee takes a sigh of relief and says, “I am happy that with this year, all my pre-pandemic commitments are over.”
While one may see it as three back-to-back successful performances, the actor looks beyond that. “What’s remarkable is that within one year, people saw me play three diverse characters — one from the privileged class (Gulmohar), one from the middle class (Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai) and one from the downtrodden class (Joram). That’s my achievement. Showing that every human [irrespective of the class] is conflicted and vulnerable, and that everyone has their own struggles was fulfilling as an actor,” he explains.
Having played such diverse roles, ask if there was a takeaway for him, and the 54-year-old shares, “My takeaway is the education that I get during the making of those characters. It could be through the conversations I had with the directors or during my research for the roles. For example, during Joram, I got to understand about people living on the margins and what displacement does to a person.”
What made the year even more special for him were the film festivals, where his movies were applauded: “It feels good to be appreciated. However, despite all the praise, releasing those films in theatre is a different ball game. After the pandemic, the kind of content being consumed has changed, as most people want to see potboilers. So, when a film like Joram impresses the audience and is liked so much that they become promoters of the film and give shout-outs, it’s far greater than any box-office numbers. It’s an indication of the great time ahead.”
(Crisp) Movie Review: JORAM by FENIL SETA
10:06 AM
Joram stars Manoj Bajpayee and reunites him with Bhonsle director Devashish Makhija. It is the story of a tribal resident on the run. The film has a lot of layers and raises some important issues. At the same time, it has a story to tell and is riddled with some thrilling moments. The second half is engaging but the climax sadly is unjustified and even unimaginative. Manoj Bajpayee, as expected, rocks the show. He and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub both have limited dialogues but they communicate a lot through their expressions. Smita Tambe leaves a mark. Tannishtha Chatterjee is dependable in a cameo. The actors playing Senior Inspector Khatri and Junior Inspector Muchaki are natural. All in all, Joram is worth watching for the performances and realism.
My rating - *** out of 5!
My rating - *** out of 5!
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 807
10:52 AM
ANIMAL IS THE FIFTH BLOCKBUSTER OF 2023; EXPECTED TO CROSS RS. 500 CRORE MARK
The latest release Animal went beyond expectations. The film was expected to open in the range of Rs. 40 and 45 crores. However, its first day collections were Rs. 52.50 crores, shocking the trade and industry. This is because it is an ‘A’ rated violence with heavy violence. A section of moviegoers was also expected to stay away from the film due to the misogyny factor. Yet, it managed to have such a huge opening and even collected Rs. 56 crores and Rs. 61 crores on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The demand was tremendous and theatres couldn’t accommodate too many shows due to long length and screen sharing with Sam Bahadur. Hence, even the weekdays are strong as those who couldn’t get tickets in the weekend saw it later. The first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 280-290 crores depending on the drop on Thursday.
If Animal is strong on Friday, it has a strong chance of entering the Rs. 500 crore club and even challenging the record-breaking lifetime collections of Pathaan (Rs. 512.76 crores), Gadar 2 (Rs. 515.13 crores) and Jawan (Rs. 555.84 crores). Even if it doesn’t, it is already a blockbuster of 2023 along with the aforementioned films and The Kerala Story.
Sam Bahadur, meanwhile, has also performed beyond expectations despite the documentary-like feel. As predicted in last week’s edition, it opened at Rs. 6 crores and had a healthy first weekend collection of Rs. 25 crores. It benefited from the clash with Animal. Many who didn’t get tickets for Animal preferred to go for Sam Bahadur. It had a drop on Monday, collecting Rs. 3.50 crores. But it remained steady and collected around Rs. 37-38 crores in the first week. If it manages to hold in the second and third weeks, it has a chance of crossing the Rs. 50 crores mark. In terms of budget, it won’t be a feat but in terms of its narrative style and treatment, it’s a big achievement.
Tomorrow will see the release of Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Joram. It got a lot of acclaim at the film festivals but in cinemas, it’ll face an uphill task due to niche appeal and competition from Animal. Zee Studios has wisely given it a very limited release.
Finally, Wonka is the big Hollywood release of the week. It has a chance to excel in certain multiplexes in big cities, especially among kids and families.
The latest release Animal went beyond expectations. The film was expected to open in the range of Rs. 40 and 45 crores. However, its first day collections were Rs. 52.50 crores, shocking the trade and industry. This is because it is an ‘A’ rated violence with heavy violence. A section of moviegoers was also expected to stay away from the film due to the misogyny factor. Yet, it managed to have such a huge opening and even collected Rs. 56 crores and Rs. 61 crores on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The demand was tremendous and theatres couldn’t accommodate too many shows due to long length and screen sharing with Sam Bahadur. Hence, even the weekdays are strong as those who couldn’t get tickets in the weekend saw it later. The first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 280-290 crores depending on the drop on Thursday.
If Animal is strong on Friday, it has a strong chance of entering the Rs. 500 crore club and even challenging the record-breaking lifetime collections of Pathaan (Rs. 512.76 crores), Gadar 2 (Rs. 515.13 crores) and Jawan (Rs. 555.84 crores). Even if it doesn’t, it is already a blockbuster of 2023 along with the aforementioned films and The Kerala Story.
Sam Bahadur, meanwhile, has also performed beyond expectations despite the documentary-like feel. As predicted in last week’s edition, it opened at Rs. 6 crores and had a healthy first weekend collection of Rs. 25 crores. It benefited from the clash with Animal. Many who didn’t get tickets for Animal preferred to go for Sam Bahadur. It had a drop on Monday, collecting Rs. 3.50 crores. But it remained steady and collected around Rs. 37-38 crores in the first week. If it manages to hold in the second and third weeks, it has a chance of crossing the Rs. 50 crores mark. In terms of budget, it won’t be a feat but in terms of its narrative style and treatment, it’s a big achievement.
Tomorrow will see the release of Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Joram. It got a lot of acclaim at the film festivals but in cinemas, it’ll face an uphill task due to niche appeal and competition from Animal. Zee Studios has wisely given it a very limited release.
Finally, Wonka is the big Hollywood release of the week. It has a chance to excel in certain multiplexes in big cities, especially among kids and families.
The films I couldn’t find money for, I have put my own money-Manoj Bajpayee
8:01 AM
With Joram depicting Adivasis’ plight in Jharkhand, Manoj says role required little prep as he was familiar with inequality meted out to the community
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 6, 2023)
Joram is so much more than a thriller. Devashish Makhija’s directorial venture tells the heart-wrenching story of a father who goes to great lengths to safeguard his daughter. Through them, the movie looks at the plight of the Adivasi community in Jharkhand. It is these layers that resonated with leading man Manoj Bajpayee.
“The father-daughter equation [drew me]. The father’s voice is crushed completely; both of them are silent and yet, they connect,” says the actor, when we get on a call with him.
The movie premièred at the Busan International Film Festival and won praise at several international film festivals. With Bajpayee at the centre of the narrative, one can be assured of a moving performance. But he tells us something unexpected. Contrary to his practice of diving deep into his character before facing the camera, he admits this film required little prep as he had grown up around the people reflected on screen.
“I come from a village [Belwa, Bihar] where we co-existed with people who can be branded Naxalites. These are people who fall into the SC/ST category. Growing up, I knew them, observed them and lived around them. The inequality is powerfully felt. It always bothered me. Their anger can be understood, and an ultimate solution is yet to be found,” he laments.
It is heard that Joram could be shadow-banned in Jharkhand because of its depiction of Adivasi oppression. Bajpayee harbours no apprehension as he says,
“The film was passed by the CBFC [Central Board of Film Certification] with ‘U/A’ certification, without a single cut. The committee that watched our film had three people from Jharkhand, who found the portrayal authentic. This is not a political film. It discusses the lives and circumstances of people coming from an area we don’t usually discuss.”
The thriller is his third release this year after the delightful Gulmohar and the hard-hitting Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. How does he remain driven to tell such unique stories? “I always go back to the reason I became an actor. There was never a dream to be a big star or do commercial films. I have done those films, so that I could do movies like Joram. The films I couldn’t find money for, I have put my own money. When you choose unconventional stories, it’ll be difficult. This is a movie where we talk not about its earnings, but about its layers.”
I was like a student in front of Manoj Bajpayee-Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub
8:10 AM
Zeeshan, who is collaborating with Bajpayee on Joram, says their daily discussions on acting after pack-up enriched him as an artiste
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; January 30, 2023)
Even after delivering promising performances in his 12-year career, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub prefers to approach his work like a novice. The idea, he says, is to use one’s life experiences to keep evolving as an artiste. The actor adopted the same approach in his next, Joram, which will be premiered at the 52nd International Film Festival of Rotterdam.
Ayyub says director Devashish Makhija is looking at India from a fresh gaze, through the survival thriller. “The way Devashish weaves in what he wants to say in a story [is fascinating]. Joram doesn’t have a [conventional] story, but it has powerful moments. My character belongs to an underprivileged community in Mumbai. But when he travels to remote places, he realizes that he is relatively more privileged than several others. This is communicated wonderfully in the film,” he shares.
Collaborating with Manoj Bajpayee was another incentive for Ayyub to be part of the film. Even though they don’t have many scenes together, their shared love for cinema bound them off screen. “At night after pack-up, we would sit together for dinner, and have long discussions about craft. I was like a student in front of him.”
In the months ahead, Ayyub will be seen in almost six projects, including Hansal Mehta’s web series Scoop, and Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur. At the moment, however, he is most excited about the runaway success of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan.
The actor, who teamed up with Khan in Raees (2017) and Zero (2018), says, “It feels like a personal victory. People have been asking me why I am happy about the film’s success. It’s just about Shah Rukh sir getting what he deserves.”
The international exposure that film festivals and film markets bring helps a movie chart its journey-Devashish Makhija
8:11 AM
Devashish Makhija feels film festivals are portals to global horizons
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 28, 2022)
After the acclaimed film Bhosle (2020), director Devashish Makhija is ready with his next, Joram. And he couldn’t be happier to collaborate with the National Film Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee for the third time.
The movie will have a world premiere at the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam. It has also been selected for the Film Bazaar Recommends category of the NFDC’s Film Bazaar. Makhija says, “The international exposure that film festivals and film markets bring helps a movie chart its journey, and eventual sales and distribution plans. I feel film festivals are portals to international horizon.”
Makhija admits that he has tried to shape Bajpayee into characters he’s never played before, and “he has deep dived into them with enthusiasm”. The director adds, “To me, performance is the beating heart of the cinema I make. Along with Manoj, we had another phenomenal artiste in Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, both their characters traversing trajectories that were both tragic and thrilling.”
Being an independent filmmaker, Makhija feels his film’s journey will be unique, because it has the backing of a popular Indian studio. “The roadmap we chart may set new precedents for how an independent spirited artistic film can release and be watched,” he ends.
South blockbusters have sent a shiver down the spine of Mumbai film industry-Manoj Bajpayee
8:31 AM
Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; May 2, 2022)
In the phase where halls were shut and anticipated blockbusters were on hold, OTT revitalised and rebranded Manoj Bajpayee yet again. However, he isn’t riding that wave to do mainstream projects at all. “I had a resolve that I will attach myself with middle of the road or independent cinema, and I am sticking to it,” he explains. And as to mainstream Hindi cinema, he has a word of caution: It has largely missed addressing the non-multiplex audiences for a while and so is unprepared for the current surge of the south. Excerpts from a chat:
You have acquired quite a degree of prominence via OTT in the phase when halls were closed and big-budget movies were on hold. But you haven’t used that to work with a big studio – you are instead working with a number of filmmakers who are, for want of a better word, non-mainstream. Stardom nahi chahiye aapko?
Star kaun hota hai hamare yahan? Dekhiye, star toh wohi banega, jo exhibitor aur distributor ki requirements ko puri karta ho. Woh requirement kya hai? Requirement hai: Larger Than Life. Extravaganza. Pushpa ne uss gap ko fill kiya, RRR ne kiya.
I had a resolve that I will attach myself with either the middle of the road cinema or with the independent cinema, and I am sticking to that. It is also about empowering all these filmmakers so that not only do I get to play those roles that I always wanted to play, work with scripts that I always wanted to be part of, but also, in that process, some very talented people are being empowered. And today one can take these decisions because of OTT. Kyunki agar woh (film) theatre mein nahi aayegi toh woh OTT pe aa jayegi.
When I work with Rahul Chittella (for Gulmohar), it gives me immense joy not only to play the character that I am playing, and be part of the film, which I am so proud of, but also I see a fantastic director-writer coming into the film world. Isiliye mere liye Rahul Chittella, Devashish Makhija, Kanu Behl, Dipesh Jain, ya phir Abhishek Chaubey, Ram Reddy – all of these directors have become very important for me. Mere liye bahut important baat hai. Main yeh nahi keh raha hoon ki industry ka har actor woh kare jo main kar raha hoon. Nahi, lekin woh mera resolve hai. I have been following this without even talking about it. But now I have to say this. I have to tell people what I am doing and why I am doing it. Inki filmein karte hue mujhe badi aantrik santushti hoti hai.
Independent cinema means smaller pay cheques for the actors, right?
That is true. Inke saath jab main kaam karta hoon toh mujhe apni bhi bahut saari sahuliyaton ko – jo dimag mein hai ki bhai yeh sahuliyat honi chahiye, ki itne saal ho gaye mujhe kaam karte hue, mujhe luxury chahiye – uss luxury ko mujhe cut down karna parta hai. Which is very good!
You are chasing the creative element over material luxury, or is this some sort of personal CSR, that you have to give back to the industry?
This is a responsibility that I have taken upon myself. I do things in a personal capacity, where I feel I have to give back, but I don’t talk about it. Many of us in the industry do what we can, where we can, but we keep it to ourselves.
Secondly, har actor ki yeh journey hai. Jahan bhi woh pahuncha hai uske liye bahut tyag karna pada hai. Maa-baap ka tyag karna pada hai, bhai-behen ka tyag karna pada hai, apne comfort ka tyag karna pada hai, apne ghar ka tyag karna pada hai. Woh kai raat rota-rota soya hai, bhookha toh chhor hi dijiye.
Har actor – actor as opposed to star?
Even stars. There are stars who have become so huge in our industry who have come from middle-class families. They have sacrificed so much before they have become what they’ve become. Lekin jab woh ban gaya hai toh (log) kehte hai samaaj ke liye kuch kyun nahi kar rahe ho? Samaaj ke liye karna na karna uska apna chunav ho sakta hai. Hum uss ke upar dabav nahi daal sakte hain. Kya yeh dabav hum corporates pe daalte hain? Kya hum unke accountable hone ke liye unke ghar ke bahar pradarshan karte hain? Nahi karte hain. Kyunki wahan par pradarshan kar ke humein kuch nahi milne wala evaj mein. Jab main Twitter pe ek star ko gaali deta hoon, toh uske evaj mein bahut kuch mil jata hai. Ek pehchan milti hai – ek identity.
(Pauses) We have always been looking for identity – for heroes. Unfortunately, we found our heroes in film stars. But they could not be. They cannot be. They are entertainers. They are actors.
This resolve to work with the names you have spoken of – is this purely on the basis of how good a filmmaker they are or is this because somewhere in your mind you are saying let me act as a bridge or let me use my stronger presence in box office because now I’m a name with a stature there, so let me bring this greater aura to their movies?
The intention comes from two-three things. I have always been looking for subjects that are genre-bending or stories which are not told or filmmaking that is not very familiar to our audience. These are my personal interests. When I watch a film say by Inarritu (Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu), it is a very new way of storytelling and I want to be a part of it. Where and how can I be a part of it? Definitely, Inarritu doesn’t know me. He is not going to cast me. So I have to find my own filmmakers here, whose films or storytelling I can be a part of. And yes, my own professional credibility will empower them to take the film forward.
Why is this space more interesting for you than conventional, mainstream Bollywood?
Had I chosen, say, only mainstream format, or maybe gotten a place as a celebrated villain, then I would have been finished long back, because even heroes look for new villains after five years. I would have been used, abused, and thrown away. Maybe because I wanted to do things differently, in my own way, so that I could be relevant, these filmmakers came to my mind as a rescue or as an alternative to really keep me going, keep my interest in filmmaking and acting going. And I’m still as interested. I am still as interested and enthusiastic and as angry as ever. That anger is only towards making these films possible for my own self and for the audience. I am really seeing to it that they get a platform and medium where they can showcase their work. Purely that.
Now, from Delhi, I have to go to Jharkhand where Devashish Makhija and the unit is waiting for me (for Joram). They want a certain kind of discipline from Manoj Bajpayee and they are not going to compromise on that. And I am not ready to compromise on my effort either. So everything is back-breaking, kneebreaking.
In 2012, Gangs Of Wasseypur in mainstream cinema and in 2021, The Family Man on OTT – they seem to be the projects that gave you the comfort to do things on our own terms, to be able to pick and choose, right? When you get a hit in the industry, it gives you the space for a while to make your choices
You said it. You just nailed it. You know, one Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012), one Rajneeti (2010), and then Special 26 (2013) has given me so much strength to do Aligarh (2016), Bhonsle (2018) and Gali Guleiyan (2018) and so many others...If I do Aligarh or Bhonsle, for me it is self-satisfying. I sleep very peacefully after doing it. And then The Family Man has given me choices that I never had till now.
That’s how I tried to maneuver my career. I always needed one project which could empower me, give me that strength to go ahead and be a part of these filmmakers’ vision which could help me to reinvent myself, and rekindle my energy. It’s all mutual when I am doing these films. For my next scene (as he was at a set) I’m ready to go, I’m all prepared. I’m ready to go. Everything is prepared. But having said that I must tell you that I am not a genre-specific person. After five-six films, you may see me in a complete mainstream film doing all sorts of stuff because it has attracted me, not the genre but the matter, the film as such or the passion of the director.
So you are saying that you’re not taking high moral ground ki mainstream nahi karna hai. But you are saying that I don’t need to be seen in mainstream for my inner satisfaction. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work.
If it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work. I have done Baaghi 2 and Satyameva Jayate. I have done many films in the past, so the filmography itself says that I have done those films. I have never regretted, rather I have enjoyed because I don’t judge them. Because for me cinema is far more important. Films are important.
(Pauses) Itni blockbuster ho rahi hai (from the south). . . forget about Manoj Bajpayee and the likes of me for a minute, it has sent a shiver down the spine of all the mainstream filmmakers from the Mumbai film industry. They really don’t know where to look.
The south industry is shaking up Mumbai?
Yes! I have been part of Tamil films and Telugu films. I exactly know why this is happening.
Educate us. One reads so much about actors saying ‘the culture’ is different in making South films but one doesn’t get the specifics. Kya culture hai, koi samjhata nahi.
Koi nahi samjhaega aap ko kyunki apne aap ko criticise karna padega. Maine kaam kiya hai wahan pe. They are unapologetic, they are passionate, and every shot they take as if they are taking the best shot in the world. And so much thought and passion goes into it. Not even once do they talk about the audience in a demeaning way. They don’t say that the audience will understand. ‘Yeh massy hai, yeh chal jayega’ – they never talk in this language. They shoot a film as they have envisioned it, they don’t dumb it down for the audience because they hold their audience in the highest regard and their passion is supreme.
If you see Pushpa or RRR or KGF, the making of it – it is immaculate. Each and every frame is actually shot in a manner as if it were a life and death situation. This is what we lack. We started thinking about mainstream films only in terms of money and box office. Hum criticize nahi kar sakte na apne aap ko. So hum unko ‘different’ keh kar alag kar denge.
But it’s a lesson. This is a lesson for Mumbai industry mainstream filmmakers on how to make mainstream cinema.
As an observer, what you seem to be arguing broadly is that if somebody is looking for cinematic satisfaction as a viewer, he’s saying maybe OTT is giving me better choices. As an actor across all genres, you are doing half a dozen films outside of ‘mainstream’ Bollywood saying that is giving me more satisfaction and more space, and it excites me more. So your excitement quotient is not being met by the mainstream, at least at this moment in this space. But on the other hand, when it comes to the larger-than-life scale – then the south is doing better than Bollywood. Right?
I will tell you one thing – do you know that Ram Charan and Junior NTR and Allu Arjun and Pawan Kalyan were already stars in the B, C cities before their recent films became big hits. Their older films were already being watched in a dubbed version in all the interior places. Those were the films which were actually satisfying the B, C cities of this country. But we were satisfied with the multiplexes and popcorn films thinking that we are making the best mainstream cinema which is reaching everyone. No, it was not reaching everyone. That section – the audience of the smaller cities, the single screens – was really not entertained. They (mainstream Bollywood) stopped addressing those viewers. When multiplexes become very expensive and far away from their (audiences’) reach, then who is their star? Who is entertaining them all this while? For you, as a person who buys a ticket in a multiplex in Delhi, when you see RRR, Junior NTR is someone you have seen for the first time – but not for the viewers in the B, C cities. They have already seen him.
Someone told me before RRR’s release – “Bhaiyya, aap Junior NTR aur Ram Charan ko le kar chale jaiye Haryana ke kisi gaon mein, woh aaj bhi mob ho jayenge. Aap ka (Bollywood) superstar wahan mob nahi hoga kyunki woh audience unki filmein nahi dekhte hain. Woh inki filmein dekhte hai, dubbed version.”
That’s because Hindi cinema wasn’t giving them this content?
Upper middle class ko jab hero mila, aur multiplex bhi usi waqt aaye, uske baad humne ye space miss kar diya. Lekin multiplex mein jaana sabke bas ki baat rahi nahi. Ab Zanjeer, Naseeb, Khalnayak kahan banti hai? Ya Vishwanath? Kalicharan? Hamari upper middle class ka hero NRI ban gaya tha. Upper middle class ka aspiration woh raha. The successful huge megastars that we have created – they were not megastars of B, C cities.
----------------------------------------
‘THE MESSAGE WAS TO SPREAD HARMONY WHEN WE FIRST SHOT BHAGWAN AUR KHUDA TWO YEARS BACK’
Recently, a two-year old video (Bhagwan Aur Khuda ) of Manoj reciting a poem on harmony between religions has been circulating. He tells us, “This video was made during the lockdown. I was in Uttarakhand and Milap (Zaveri, film writer and director) wrote this poem and sent this to me, asking me to recite it. Mujhe poems recite karna waise bhi achcha lagta hai, and I really liked what he wrote, so I recorded it and sent it back to him. He then called me to say ki isko shoot kar ke bhej do agar wahan koi assistants hain jo mere saath phanse hue hain. It so happened that two assistant directors were there, stuck along with me, Sagar and Ashok. So we spent some time and shot it together.”
He reminds us that he also shot for another video during the first lockdown – Bambai Me Ka Ba for Anubhav Sinha. While it was initially posted online two years ago,it’s been seen more recently than it probably was then. “Jab uss samay daala tha tab bhi kaafi chala tha, lekin iss samay jis tarah se iss ka swagat ho raha hai woh unprecedented hai,” says Manoj, adding, “Mera apna maanna hai ki Bharat ko aage jaana hai toh sab ko saath mil ke chalna hoga. The message was to spread peace and harmony when we first shot this two years back. I am of course surprised that it has gone viral at this point. But as to why, perhaps the simplest answer is in what one of my co-actors messaged me: It was relevant then, it is relevant now, and it will always be relevant.”
‘I DELETED WHATSAPP TO STOP EXPECTATIONS’
While reaching out to Manoj for this interaction, we realised that our WhatsApp messages to him weren’t landing. The actor subsequently clarified that it was on account of him having deleted the app. “WhatsApp pe bahut saare known, unknown messages aate hain, everyone expecting you to respond to them quickly. There are invitation to all kinds of functions and then people expect you to respond in a positive manner. There are so many forwards – many of which are not in sync with my sensibilities – spams, unknown numbers and bulk messages coming in every day, unknown calls coming every day. It’s humanly not possible for any of us to entertain each and every message and answer them in positive. And your answer should match their expectation, which was getting a little too much. I also wanted to just keep a lot of time for my reading, for watching content and spending time with my family rather than just being stuck on the phone and being busy answering people. So I think it was just very, very important for me to delete it so that the expectations stop.”
The suspense from Amazon is killing the The Family Man team-Manoj Bajpayee
8:10 AM
Manoj Bajpayee on waiting for the third instalment of The Family Man and his future line-up
MID-DAY (March 25, 2022)
National Award winner Manoj Bajpayee says like fans, the team of his web series The Family Man is also waiting for the streaming giant Amazon Prime Video to announce the premiere date of its highly anticipated third season.
“The suspense from Amazon is killing the The Family Man team because for now we don’t have an answer,” said the actor. The second season of The Family Man, which premièred last June, was lapped up by viewers. The first season, which debuted on the OTT platform in late 2019, also received glowing reviews.
Bajpayee has a packed slate ahead with projects like Gulmohar, Kanu Behl’s Despatch, Joram with his Bhosle director Devashish Makhija, and Pahaadon Mein, and Soup, a Netflix series, his third collaboration with director Abhishek Chaubey after Ray and Sonchiriya.
“I’m currently shooting for Gulmohar and I finished Dispatch recently. I’ll start shooting in May for Joram. Then there is a film Pahaadon Mein by Raam Reddy that I have completed. There’s also the series, Soup for Netflix with Abhishek Chaubey. I think next year is going to be busy. People will either be entertained or get tired of me,” the actor, 52, added.
On Wednesday, Bajpayee turned showstopper for designer Samant Chauhan, a fellow Bihari and “a friend whom I have known for so many years”. “I have done theatre for so many years, but wearing something designed by Samant Chauhan is a big thing. Also, when I face the crowds, I not only feel uncomfortable but also a little embarrassed,” he said.
Describing his style as “casual and comfortable”, Bajpayee said he prefers jeans and T-shirt for his day-to-day use.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)