‘Some roles shake you up’

Manoj Bajpayee says that a few characters leave a lasting impact on the psyche of an actor

From playing hard-hitting characters to being part of commercial films, Manoj Bajpayee has played all kinds of roles in his career spanning over two decades. He has got critical acclaim for almost all his performances and now in his next project, he teams up with Sidharth Malhotra in Aiyaary.

Talking about it, he says, “I feel like he (Neeraj Pandey) is the best director for the middle-of-the-road cinema. He somehow manages to make a film that is engaging to every strata of the society. I feel truly blessed that he thinks I’m worthy enough to be a part of his film. He is straightforward and doesn’t shy away from telling you the truth on your face. We are very good friends but at the same time, we have immense respect and admiration for each other.”

How was his experience of working with Sidharth? Since he is a senior actor, does he often awe inspire or intimidate younger actors? “I don’t know because they don’t show any kind of awe. These guys are very confident with what they are doing. Their exposure is completely different from what we had at our age. They’re far more exposed to cinema but I learn from them. I’m not being humble here, but I try to learn from their behaviour and knowledge and the manner in which they work on the set.”

Considering actors these days are more well-rounded, we ask him if he thinks his career would have been different, had he had the same exposure. But Manoj brushes the thought off as he says, “Only losers think that way. The world was different in 1960 but that doesn’t mean the actors who worked then were any less able. They were amazing and gave world-class performance. You should enjoy this time and make the most of it.” It’s not very rare for an actor to get emotionally involved with a difficult character they’re portraying on screen. Manoj says that no matter how hard one tries, that will always remain a part of an actor’s life. “No matter what you do or how you do it, or how strong you are, somewhere some bruises are always left in the subconscious mind. That’s the curse of being an actor. You just have to accept it and move on. Some roles shake you up, and it takes a long time to come out of that. Shool (1999) has done a lot of damage to me and so did Satya (1998) and Pinjar (2003). Aligarh (2016) had a very positive impact on my personality as he was a no-malice kind of a person. I enjoyed getting into the skin of professor Sirus. He improved me as a person”, the actor says.

The world was different in 1960 but that doesn’t mean the actors who worked then were any less able. They were amazing and gave worldclass performance. You should enjoy this time and make the most of it MANOJ BAJPAYEE, ACTOR