EXCLUSIVE | Manoj Bajpayee: 'Was once sitting at home and waiting for things to happen and then...'

Manoj Bajpayee and director Devashish Makhija are coming together for the third time after Taandav and Bhonsle. The film is called Joram, and the narrative is as unique as the title, and Bajpayee delivers another explosive performance. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the two sat down for a chat and spoke about their shooting experiences, working with each other again, and lots more.

Edited excerpts from the interview

Manoj, you became the first Indian actor to win the Best Actor award for Joram at the Durban international Film Festival. It won the jury award at stars Asian Film Festival. Does this boost your confidence as an actor about the film?

Definitely, and another actor who won the award was Smita Tambe. It also says how much the film has enthralled the audience all around the world, it has covered all the major film festivals, so Devashish was literally flying everywhere to different places.

Devashish, Joram is your hattrick with Manoj Bajpayee after Taandav and Bhonsle, for which he won the National award. These are such crucial and complex characters. Do you like challenging him as an actor and what does his prep look like?

Prep is a very overused and misunderstood word because we talk a lot. We discussed about this film at least six years before it was made, we discussed Bhonsle four years before it was shot, so it’s a long relationship that leads to these complex performances. I refer to this equation like a rock-band, and you really don’t get to see that much in our industry, and that’s something I really cherish.

Manoj, the camerawork of the film also does a fine job of conveying your helplessness. What do you have to say about the way this film and particularly your scenes have been shot?

Devashish gets very young and excited people as cameramen who are not interested in just lighting it up and staying away from the characters. They try to go with the rhythm of the performance and are very close to you without you being aware of it. I got to experience some very crazy and fluid camerawork on this film, or whenever I worked with him. One of his cameramen Piyush was dieting so that he could run with the camera and keep pace with his film.

After Raajneeti, which came out in 2010 till now, you have given one incredible film and performance after another. Gangs Of Wasseypur, Special 26, Aligarh, Taandav Bhonsle The Family Man, Bandaa. Are you enjoying the 2.0 version of your career?

I’m really happy to be working with directors I’ve had long association with and some very fine new directors whose vision I’ve been part of. Also, I’m getting to choose which was not there earlier. I was just sitting at home and waiting for things to happen. In between all this, I’ve been part of some very successful films like Baaghi 2 and Satyameva Jayate. Those films have given me a lot of freedom to make films like Bhonsle and Aligarh. I was constantly working and giving two performances and films every year. With the advent of OTT, the amount of interest people have shown in content-driven films and series is crazy, be it Banda or The Family Man or Gulmohar.

Devashish, which film of Manoj Bajpayee you wish you directed and why?

Gangs of Wasseypur. I started my career with Anurag Kashyap on Black Friday, and there’s some very vibrant and energetic tone to Wasseypur that I don’t have. It’s vicarious pleasure.

Manoj, the story is about a family that comes to Mumbai from Jharkhand for work and the troubles they face. During the pandemic, you launched a campaign called Shramik Sammaan to help the migrant labourers who were left jobless. While playing this character, did their troubles and struggles get to you?

I’ve said this in many interviews that the world my character in Joram comes from is very similar to the milieu that I come from, so I have seen it first hand. We are aware of the work conditions and conflicts they go through, so you just have to go back in the past and get those experiences alive.