New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) It appears to be like prefer it has gone in a “jiffy” nevertheless it hasn’t, says actor Manoj Bajpayee whereas trying again at his profession of 30 years in Hindi cinema.
The versatile star made his debut in 1994 with “Droh Kaal” and adopted it up with a minor position in “Bandit Queen”. But it was his position because the flamboyant gangster Bhiku Mhatre in 1998’s “Satya” that made him an immediate star.
There have been many challenges alongside the way in which, however Bajpayee credit his “extreme passion for cinema” for his survival within the business.
“Looks like it has gone in a jiffy but it hasn’t. When you sit down, you realise that it was not easy. You kept building it brick by brick and sometimes suddenly someone would come and push the half-built wall and you start again.
“More than something, what actually made me survive all these years is my excessive ardour and love for what I do. I do not need this love story to ever finish,” Bajpayee told PTI in an interview here.
The 54-year-old actor, who hails from a small village called Belwa in Bihar’s West Champaran district, featured in films such as “Kaun?”, “Shool” and “Pinjar” post his breakout performance.
He was also appreciated for “Raajneeti” but his performance as Sardar Khan in “Gangs of Wasseypur” and the role of professor Ramchandra Siras in Hansal Mehta’s biographical drama “Aligarh” earned him wide acclaim.
Bajpayee, however, became a household name with his turn as an intelligence agent trying to balance a risky job with familial responsibilities in the Prime Video series “The Family Man”.
His latest streaming venture is “Killer Soup”, a crime series that will premiere on Netflix on January 11.
The show, also starring Konkona Sensharma, will see Bajpayee in a double role for the first time. It also reunites him with Abhishek Chaubey, his director of “Sonchiriya” and “Hungama Hai Kyun Barpa” (from “Ray” anthology).
The actor, who has been a major voice and a strong proponent of middle-of-the-road cinema, said Chaubey knows how to extract the best from him in every performance.
Bajpayee said he always wanted to work with Chaubey but felt slightly disappointed that his role was short in “Sonchiriya”, but the 2019 dacoit drama is amongst his favourite performances.
“I learn the script (‘Sonchiriya’) and I completed it in two hours. I assumed I wished to work with him in a much bigger position, however that is so good. We had a gathering and he mentioned, ‘Sir, I need to work with you, please belief me. Just go along with it. I will not allow you to down’. When I noticed the character of Man Singh, I mentioned, ‘Wow, even I couldn’t see myself that approach whereas performing,” he recalled.
The actor said Chaubey is his “form of director” because they both have same cinema sensibilities and a love for the middle-of-the-road genre.
“Somewhere it serves a much bigger function to the viewers as a result of too many potboilers and an excessive amount of indulgence just isn’t doing good to the viewers. Middle-of-the-road is definitely about balancing. Such films excite and interact me,” he added.
As a seasoned performer, Bajpayee has done probably done it all but where he shines the most is in the roles that portray the loneliness and inner struggles of a person, whether it was an upright police officer in “Shool”, a man struggling with social stigma over his sexual orientation in “Aligarh”, a man dealing with difficult childhood in “Gali Guleiyan” or a retired cop trying to come to terms with a terminal disease in “Bhosle”, his National Award-winning act.
Asked whether he had an affinity towards such roles, Bajpayee said it’s not intentional but loneliness is something that he ponders about a lot.
“I’m not a lonely particular person, consider me. If you take a look at it, everyone seems to be lonely. In their quiet moments, everyone seems to be in search of one thing that may’t be answered by a relationship, or a wedding, or by turning into a father or daughter.
“It’s something you are born with and you are seeking something that you can’t define. Then there is the old-age loneliness, when you are not wanted by anyone. It has always attracted me since my childhood,” he added.
Set within the fictitious city of Mainjur, “Killer Soup” additionally options an ensemble forged of nice actors like Nasser, Sayaji Shinde, Lal, Anbuthasan, Anula Navlekar and Kani Kusruti. It is produced by Chetana Kowshik and Honey Trehan.
Source web site: www.hindustantimes.com
