Manoj Bajpayee is one of the most talented actors in the business. He has been working for nearly three decades and has built a reputation for his range and versatility. A big reason for his success, both critically and commercially, is his unique and mature outlook on the art of acting that lets him take up projects which don’t necessarily feature him in starring roles like The Family Man, Silence, or for that matter his upcoming film Dial 100. He shared his thoughts about the same during a recent interview with us.
“There’s clarity about what I want to achieve and what I want myself as an actor,” Bajpayee said on how he securely moves from The Srikant Tiwari of The Family Man to a secondary character in another project. “For me, it’s very important to work with fantastic and great directors of every generation. I want to be a part of all the great projects and be directed by all the magnificent minds. The endeavour has been only that. It’s never about completely leading a project. It’s always been about being a part of a great project and create a filmography that in the end, I’ll be very proud of.”
Bajpayee, who recently spoke about being ignored at an event during a rough patch in his career some years ago, has been enjoying a career renaissance ever since starring in acclaimed projects like Gali Guleiyan, Bhonsle and the most-talked-about Indian web series, The Family Man.
Talking about how people’s behaviour changed towards him after being part of back-to-back critically acclaimed projects, the actor said, “I get a lot of respect and reverence in this industry. But I can’t expect everyone to be liking me or friends of mine. If people don’t like me then that’s fine with me, but if they get into some kind of activity to damage or ruin me then I start voicing my opinions very openly. But other than that I think I have gotten along very well with all my directors and co-actors. I have never given them any point to be offended by me. I’m very respectful to them. I just do my job and go home. I’m not a party person at all. I have very few people that I sit with. This is what I do. I’m not too sure why people suddenly get into… talking ill things about me. I feel so bad for them. They are disturbed. They are not really happy people and I’m saying it with no malice.”
Bajpayee will next be seen in ZEE5’s original film Dial 100, in which he plays a cop, Nikhil Sood, working in the Police Emergency Call Centre. One night, he receives a call from a grieving mother (Neena Gupta), seeking revenge for the unfortunate death of her son and his life turns upside down.
Talking about his experience working in the thriller, Bajpayee said, “It’s very taxing when you are shooting all night. Doing a one-night script is very difficult. You have to be very fluid and consistent. Your mind cannot be distracted. You have to keep the thread in your hand and the flow of your performance has to be natural.”
On what attracted him to the script, he said, “What I liked is that my character is not a doting husband or a great father and he is working in an emergency call centre and one day he gets a chance to really prove that he can be a good father and husband. This is exactly what appealed to me, not the uniform or the one-night story.”
Dial 100 has been directed by Rensil D’Silva, presented by Sony Pictures Films India and produced in association with Alchemy films. The film will premiere on ZEE5 on August 6.
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