India has witnessed the prowess of Manoj Bajpayee as a powerful actor in films like “Gangs of Wasseypur,” “Aligarh,” “Satya,” “Shool,” and “Rajneeti.” In his latest film, “Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai,” based on true events, he portrays PC Solanki, a defense lawyer who takes on a godman in a rape case. Recently, the actor discussed the transition from portraying ‘characters’ to playing the ‘hero’ in his films. Additionally, he expressed his gratitude for having paved the way for his generation of actors and those to come.
Recalling his conversation with Mahesh Bhatt, Manoj Bajpayee shared how the filmmaker contacted him after “The Family Man.” “Years ago, when I used to spend time with him, I asked why our heroes are never real. He told me it would be delusional to even think that heroes can be real because they are designed in a certain way. After the web show, Mahesh Ji called me and said he never expected the concept of a hero to be redefined. He congratulated me for doing just that. It was wonderful to receive his call. But my fight has always been for this; I wanted heroes to be different, to be real,” he said.
The actor added that while people perceive him as the hero, it is his characters that truly shine in his projects. Bajpayee said, “I am still playing the characters; they have become heroes in turn. Nothing drastic has changed, except that I used to be one of the three characters, whereas now I lead the story. It’s a fantastic development. And if it’s because of me, I’m glad because now people are writing heroes as characters. That’s an excellent sign for the future.”
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Recalling Kaykay Menon’s interview quotes, he said, “Kaykay once said that if Bhiku Matre hadn’t happened, Manoj Bajpayee wouldn’t have happened, nor would this group of actors. And I believe we should credit Ram Gopal Varma for that. He rebelled and allowed this angsty group to change things, to do things their way. We never wanted to conform to the typical actor archetype. Eventually, it went from one person to a whole clan of like-minded individuals. And it all happened because of the emergence of ‘Satya.'”
While the actor claims to have never fallen for the conventional industry idea of an actor, we wondered if he ever desired to dance at award shows. With a laugh, he replied, “I couldn’t do it. Honestly, I did try once, but I failed miserably. Years ago, I danced at Filmfare to a song from ‘Ghaath.’ At the end of it, I was so exhausted, huffing and puffing, I realized it’s not my cup of tea. And when Hrithik Roshan arrived on the scene, I gave up dancing. I couldn’t go back to dance school to learn all those new moves. I told everyone to please exclude me from it.”
Manoj Bajpayee further added that while he was performing well before the pandemic, the emergence of OTT platforms had opened up a new market for him. Although he has always had fans, he admitted that children under 18 only recognize him as “The Family Man.” “The show took me everywhere, and that’s my biggest gain from the digital space,” he said with a smile.