Manoj calls social media a blessing for independent films

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has always been seen in a variety of roles — from a homosexual professor in Aligarh (2016) and a CBI officer in Special 26 (2013) to a goon in Tevar (2015). The actor, who made his debut with a brief appearance in Drohkaal (1994) as an undercover cop, says that the genre of a film doesn’t matter to him, rather, his role and the director matter.

“I was and am open to [doing] any kind of films. Just look at the slate of films lined up for this year. It started with Aiyaary (an espionage thriller), then came Baaghi 2 (an action film, in which he played a DIG), Missing (he plays a father). All of these are starkly different from each other. I am shooting next for a mainstream film with John Abraham. I am completely unaffected by the genre, I only care about the role and the person who is going to direct the film.”

One of his films, Gali Guliyan — In the Shadows —, which is a psychological thriller, has been making the rounds of many film festivals since 2017. Manoj, proud of this venture, says, “It is making a lot of noise in international film festivals, and its release in India will hence take a couple of months. All such films take a full run in festivals, and then the makers try to release it in domestic markets. The same thing happened with Rajkummar Rao’s Newton (2017) too.”

He is especially thankful to the presence of social media, as it helps to create a buzz around small films. “Social media has come as a blessing to independent films, and for people who don’t have money for publicity. They use social media to create awareness around the film,” he signs off.

PHOTO: AALOK SONI/HT Actor Manoj Bajpayee’s Gali Guliyan has been making the rounds of many international film festivals