IAM AGAINST BOYCOTTS OR BANS: MANOJ BAJPAYEE
The actor feels creative liberty and dissent should be respected Tanu Weds Manu gave me my identity in Bollywood
With the rise in content consumption on streaming platforms, Manoj Bajpayee is not only enjoying a successful ride on the web, but is also delighted by the fact that his older films are being rediscovered by audiences.
“The respect I’ve got over the years has grown and the emergence of OTT has added to it. Today, people are looking up my films, which is quite flattering. Many of my earlier releases are getting the attention that they didn’t get when they had released in theatres. Theatres, too, didn’t give these films enough shows or slots or the respect back then. Pinjar (2003) and Kaun (1999) have been favourites with viewers and even Satya (1998) and Shool (1999). Getting compliments even after so many years, is really inspiring and encouraging,” says Bajpayee.
With his hit web show, Family Man and the ongoing OTT boom, the Padma Shri awardee is elated that actors today have so many choices but cautions that they should choose wisely.
“Don’t rush. There are many exciting, interesting and out-of-the-box stories being offered to me, but I would never do anything for the heck of it,” he shares.
As he waits for the second season of his show to drop, ask him about the recent controversy with Tandav, and how makers ended up deleting some scenes and the kind of precedence it set, and he says, “I haven’t seen the show and if the makers have done it, it depends on them. I think people should be a little patient and forgiving when it comes to creative content. If they don’t agree with something they can voice their opinion, even encourage like-minded people not to watch it, but not ask for a ban or boycott. Banning and boycotting doesn’t do any good to any industry or any society. I am not in favour of it. There are many social media posts I don’t agree with but I don’t want them to be
Ten years ago, Aanand L Rai presented raw emotions through his film Tanu Weds Manu, and the film turned out to be a sleeper hit. The filmmaker, who had two prior not-so-successful outings, is forever indebted to the audience for loving the Kangana Ranaut and R Madhavanled movie.
“It feels very nice to reach this milestone and I am thankful that I was allowed to tell this story so honestly. This film gave me my identity in Bollywood. It is a great feeling to be associated with a story like this and receive so much love from the audience,” shares Rai, who is busy with his next, Atrangi Re.
Taking a walk down memory lane, the filmmaker, 49, reminisces, “The only thing I remember is that I felt fearless while making the film. Nobody, taken off as I believe a healthy debate and discourse is a sign of a healthy democracy,” says the two-time National Award winner.
His last film, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari (2020) released in theatres and he will soon be seen in a web original film.
How important are box office numbers to him, as OTT doesn’t quite measure a film’s popularity on that benchmark? “I believe that each film should be should be measured on the basis of quality, not on how many crores it earned. This yardstick is ruining the intention of filmmaking in India. OTT has brought in a huge change and I hope it continues to create interesting content,” Bajpayee adds. not for a single day, wondered ki ‘kya yeh picture chalegi.’ I did feel something magical was happening.” And this despite minor hiccups. “It was made in a very tight budget. Commercially and financially, we were in a tight spot but it never looked like a hurdle,” he adds.
Rai feels that the reason why the film still remains in public memory is because of its sheer relatability. “The reason it became a part of our life was because it was our life. It was Indian to its core and it was culture that was actually us. Jo ek apnapan tha, it was owned by the audience so beautifully,” he says.
The film’s 10th anniversary also marks 10 years of his production house, and Rai could not have asked for a better journey. “Eleven years back, I was struggling to direct a film. And in these 10 years, if I could help others make their films, it makes me very happy. I always let a lot of new directors use this path to make their own journey,” he concludes.