Manoj Bajpayee: Showing that every human is vulnerable was fulfilling as an actor this year
Looking back at 2023, actor Manoj Bajpayee is glad that he got a chance to step into the shoes of people from different social strata.
Manoj Bajpayee had an exceptional year with three successful projects gracing the screen. His remarkable performances in Gulmohar, Sirf Ek Banda, and Joram not only got him critical acclaim but also resonated with audiences worldwide. Besides earning several awards and honours, the actor created history as Sirf Ek Banda became the first movie to release in theatres after a successful run on OTT. Looking back at 2023, Bajpayee takes a sigh of relief and says, “I am happy that with this year, all my pre-pandemic commitments are over.”
While one may see it as three back to back successful performances, Bajpayee looks beyond that. “What is remarkable for me is that within one year, people saw me playing a character who comes from a privilege class (Gulmohar), middle class (Sirf Ek Banda) and from a completely downtrodden (Joram) class. That’s my achievement. Showing that every human (from every class) is conflicted and vulnerable and that everyone is having their own struggles was fulfilling for me as an actor. I got to see audience appreciating my performance in that as they could relate to me in all those characters. That’s a compliment for me,” he explains.
As he talks about investing ample time in understanding every role, was there also a takeaway from those characters? Bajpayee clarifies that there is nothing that he takes away from the character, however, in the process of giving it a shape, he learns a lot. “My takeaway is the education that I get during the making of those characters,” he points out.
Bajpayee goes on to explain, “It could be through the conversation I have had with my director or during my research for the role. For example, when I was doing Joram, I got to understand about people living on the margins and what displacement does to a person... How one small crime turns into a blunder. I got to learn so many other things a marginalized person goes through.”
Making this year all the more special for him were the film festivals, which appreciated and applauded all his movies. “My films have travelled to the film festivals in the past and have been awarded in various categories. It feels good to be appreciated. However, despite all the appreciation, releasing those films in theatre is a different ball game. We know that there aren’t many people who will be the patrons of it, but still you go and get screens for a section to watch and review,” he shares.
But he is happy that his film Joram could bring about a change in the system. “Post pandemic, the kind of content being consumed has changed. Most of the audience wants to see potboilers, and in the middle of that, a film like Joram comes and impresses the audience. They are liking it so much that they have become the promoters of the film. They are giving shout outs, writing things like ‘If you don’t watch this film, do not complaint that we are not making good and meaningful cinema.’ This is far more greater than box office numbers. It’s an indication of the great time ahead. Joram’s contribution will be counted in the future. I am not hopeful, I am sure about it,” he shares.
He will continue to work on the kind of films that the majority loves to watch, but at the same time create a balance by releasing projects that talk about greater issues. “Just because audience are liking a certain kind of films, it does not mean we should shop releasing films like Joram in theatres. We should do it in a practical way with limited screens and use word of mouth to publicize it,” he wraps up.
