Manoj Bajpayee, The success man

THE NATIONALAWARD-WINNING ACTOR IS FINALLY GETTING HIS DUE WITH THE BACK-TOBACK SUCCESSES HE’S BEEN RAKING IN WITH HIS SHOWS AND FILMS ACROSS PLATFORMS OF LATE, ESPECIALLY ON THE OTTS.

Despite the lockdown, Manoj is one of the busiest actors today, with a packed call-sheet. Basking in the success of Family Man Season 2, the actor talks about how the entire crew has been in a celebratory mood, the upcoming films he is currently shooting for and how he consciously sticks to seeking stimulating stories.

Excerpts from an interview: Q How does it feel to be considered one of the most sought-after heroes on the OTT platform today? Honestly, I’ve never been in favour of these terms. It’s been an effort for good stories that entertain the audience emotionally and intellectually. So these stories need to be told. Mine is an effort to work in that direction — not in the direction of being affiliated to ‘herogiri’. As for being sought-after on OTTs, I completely take it as a compliment. But all of you guys know that I chose my projects very carefully. That attitude of mine will remain the same.

Q People wait for your series. What do you have to say to your fans? I really wholeheartedly thank all the members of the audience who’ve been

so

I USUALLY LOOK AT THE CONTENT AND NOT GENRES. BUT, I’VE DONE ENOUGH FILMS TO SAY THAT I’VE TOUCHED EACH AND EVERY GENRE, AND FORTUNATELY, I’VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN MY ENDEAVOURS. THE ONLY (GENRE) I HAVEN’T DONE IS THE AVENGER TYPE. PAR KOI BANAYE TOH SAHI!

gracious to send their compliments and appreciation and share all those encouraging words on social media for me. I have loads of respect and admiration for all of them, and am overwhelmed by the love we are getting for Family Man Season 2. Raj and DK, who have written and directed the series, really deserve more of it than all of us. Q Are you expecting awards for this web series? Why does everything have to boil down to awards? We’re all in a celebrative mood, enjoying the massive success that the series is experiencing. You don’t think about an award at this point of time. You only think about meeting and greeting each other the lockdown way and celebrating our hard work. The cast and the technicians have worked hard and deserve this success.

Q Do you prefer being seen on the big screen or the OTT platform?

OTT has come up and it’s indeed a good time as it is one more medium in which actors and technicians get a chance to become visible. I believe it’s always better for all of us to have as many mediums to work in as possible, so that every capable person gets a job and is busy and leads a very good life.

Q You had once said that payment needs to be in accordance with an individual’s work and worth. Are you happy with what you draw from the OTT platform today?

I don’t like to talk about payment. That being said, it has been a few years since I’ve been emphasising on getting a good payment. And sometimes you get it and sometimes you don’t. I believe that after so many years being a part of the glitz and glamour world it really encourages you if you get paid according to your work that you put in. It’s a good morale booster.

Q Do you think others feel intimidated being around and working with you given that you are a NationalAward-winning actor?

I don’t want anyone to feel nervous while working with me. I also think I’m a very easy person to work with. I try to help and support every person who works with me. I also want their advice and they see my performance. I try to collaborate with actors, new or old. That’s how we can create magic on screen and do wonders with every film.

Q

You seem to be very busy, shooting continuously. What projects you are currently working on?

My next project is Ray, an anthology for Netflix, directed by Abhishek Chaubey, someone I am his hard-core admirer of. It’s based on the late legendary Satyajit Ray and will be released on 25th of this month.

Then there is this Dial 100, an emotional thriller directed by Renzil D’Souza, which has Neena Guptaji and Sakshi Tanwar. We’re quite excited that it has shaped up very well, and I’d love everyone to watch it. I think people will be as excited watching it as I was doing it.

Additionally, I’m doing another AbhishekChaubey project. Then there is a young man, directing me for his directorial debut. So, yes, my hands are full for the moment.

I was shooting with Kanu Behl and Ram Reddy before the lockdown. So I’ll also be focusing on finishing all my pending projects that were held because of the lockdown.

But until that happens, we can sit back and relax. I’m having a good time with my family who’re also here in the mountains in Uttarakhand.

Q Is there any genre that you feel you have missed and dream to fulfil being a part of?

I usually look at the content and not genres. But that said, I’ve done enough films to say that I’ve touched each and every genre, and fortunately, I’ve been successful in my endeavours, having, luckily, come out each time with flying colours.

The only (genre) I haven’t done is the Avenger type. Par koi banaye toh sahi! (But will anyone get to making it already!)

[Laughs aloud]

IT HAS BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE I’VE BEEN EMPHASISING ON GETTING A GOOD PAYMENT. SOMETIMES YOU GET IT AND SOMETIMES YOU DON’T. I BELIEVE IT REALLY ENCOURAGES YOU IF YOU GET PAID ACCORDING TO YOUR WORK THAT YOU PUT IN.

I’M A VERY EASY PERSON TO WORK WITH. I TRY TO HELP AND SUPPORT EVERY PERSON WHO WORKS WITH ME. I ALSO WANT THEIR ADVICE AND THEY SEE MY PERFORMANCE. I TRY TO COLLABORATE WITH ACTORS, NEW OR OLD. THAT’S HOW WE CAN CREATE MAGIC ON SCREEN