'I STILL CAN'T SAY I'M A TALENTED GUY'
Manoj Bajpayee says he never thought people would be bothered to watch his work on the web
Known for his lethal performances onscreen, and no-holdsbarred conversations off it, National Award winning actor, Manoj Bajpayee never fails to impress. Aligarh (2015), Satya (1998), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) — all have been critically-acclaimed, but the Padma Shri awardee surprises you with his humility when he candidly says, “I still can’t say I am a talented guy.”
Currently basking in the rave reviews he has got for his web debut, The Family Man, he admits he didn’t expect such a positive response. “I don’t feel like gloating about it,” Manoj adds, “Promoting a project is one thing, but postrelease compliments and reaction... I’m not too good with sharing that. After so many years, if people still get surprised by my performance, I take that as a compliment. Somewhere, I feel, I’ve been sincere to the goal I had set in the beginning — evolving as an actor.”
The process, Manoj says, is still on. “I just try very hard and find a way to do it very well,” he adds.
The Family Man revolves around Manoj’s character — a middle-class man who is hiding from his family that he’s an on-field secret agent. Though a bit slow on the film front, one wonders what took him so long to sign a web show — was it because he was apprehensive, or due to lack of good offers?
He shares, “There’s an offer every day! I wasn’t at all apprehensive, but careful in choosing a subject that would mark my debut. I was looking for something else. In this case, it was breaking a stereotype — showing the world the way it is. It was going beyond the subject. It talked about too many things without commenting on them. It’s just the time we’re living in. There’s no statement, no stand, just the way it is.”
Asked about the objections raised by people over the content around Kashmir and terrorism in the series, Manoj says, “I don’t want to comment on these people and the few factions who are finding some part objectionable. There are answers to their questions in the series itself. I’ll urge them to look into it very carefully.” His next project is going to be a web film directed by Shirish Kunder.
The web format must have been a new experience for him, in the sense that here, it’s not about box-office numbers, but how many eyeballs an actor can grab. Manoj modestly says, “I never thought so many people will look forward to my work. It’s quite humbling and flattering that they’ve been following my work… I’ve come to know about it just now. It all started with the trailer of The Family Man, which hit a record million views, and then came the response, which is only growing bigger day by day. It’s quite humbling. I never thought people would be bothered to watch me [on the web]. I’ve mostly been doing independent films lately.”
As soon as we ask him about the possibility of a second season, Manoj quips, “I’m not the right person to give you any details, whether we’re making one or not. The moment the platform gives it their nod, I’ll go ahead and start being my character. Today, I feel Shrikant Tiwari [his character in the series] is one of the most loved names in the country. I’d love to get into the skin of this character again.”
After so many years, if people still get surprised by my performance, I take that as a compliment. I feel I’ve been sincere to the goal I had set in the beginning — evolving as an actor.
MANOJ BAJPAYEE ACTOR