When we meet Manoj Bajpayee at a suburban hotel, the actor is running a temperature and the toil of his busy schedule is obvious. But as he sits to chat about Neeraj Pandey’s political thriller, Aiyaary, the actor is soon in an upbeat mood as he explains the title of the film. “Aiyaari means an imposter, who pretends to be someone else for fraudulent gain. The film is not about soldiers fighting for the country on the border, but within the country,” he says.
In the past, Bajpayee has worked with director Neeraj Pandey in films such as Special 26, Saat Uchakkey and Naam Shabana. Despite their close rapport and friendship off-the-sets, he still prefers following his director’s instructions to the last detail. “It is his vision. He is the captain of the ship under whose guidance each and every department has to function. No actor can survive in oblivion and isolation,” he says. Pandey, who has helmed espionage thrillers in the past, has meticulously researched his subject, set against the army background. “Neeraj, (also the writer of the film) is fastidious when it comes to his script, research, and technique. If we had questions, we would go to him and he would always be available to answer them. He is a person who would love to answer your questions if you have any,” adds the 48-year-old actor.
Road to success
Bajpayee forayed into the industry with Drohkaal (1994) but it was his riveting performance as a scruffy gangland don Bhiku Mahtre, in Satya (1998) that shone the limelight on him. Two decades have passed but the film still continues to be a benchmark in gangster films. While the role was much appreciated, it wasn’t the career turning point the actor had hoped for. “Turning point is something after which there’s no struggle. After Satya, I was sitting at home for a year,” admits Bajpayee, adding that his “story is not of a big star” who has been catapulted to fame with one or two films. “My story is completely different — where you are getting recognised, doing your own thing and trying not to succumb to the pressure of commercial cinema,” he shares.
While his fans would be up for a debate, Bajpayee insists, that his career is built on his flop films. Harbouring the love for the craft since childhood, he admits he knew that only hard work and honing his craft could off-set his perceived lack of fitting into the mould of a conventional hero. “The numbers didn’t make our careers, the films and the roles have. Most of the roles were acclaimed but the numbers weren’t there. If you take the box-office numbers into account, then my films don’t stand anywhere as I have hardly been a part of a film that has made 100 crores,” says the National Award-winning actor.
His recent power-packed performance in Rukh and Naam Shabana were much appreciated but both failed to set the cash register ringing. But the actor isn’t bothered by a film’s box-office performance anymore. “Had that affected me, I would have gone mad. I have always been very clear that my job is to play the role to the best of my ability, take my money and go home. After that, I forget about it and disassociate myself with the outcome of it. Whether it makes money or doesn’t, it is not my outlook. It is the concern of my producer and distributor. They are the best people to judge and monitor that aspect of filmmaking,” he believes.
Content over commerce
The actor who straddles both the worlds of unconventional and mainstream cinema with ease, has always believed that the role matters more than the pay packet which he judges and decides according to the budget of the film. “There are films that are made under four crores. Most often, these films don’t make money or even break even. My remuneration there is hardly enough to take care of my monthly household expenditure,” says the Gangs of Wasseypur actor adding that it is the passion for content and being completely challenged by the character that makes him sign up for such project. “It’s about the passion for telling good stories,” he adds. The actor feels that the corporate formula went downhill because it mostly chose to bank only on star power to ensure footfalls in the theatres. “Not just mega-blockbusters, the audiences are now lapping up content-driven cinema in a big way,” says Bajpayee as he credits the growth of content-driven cinema for the attention that actors like him are garnering. Last year saw such films gaining momentum and receiving critical acclaim. “Whenever people thought a great starcast is going to mint money for them, the audience always failed those films. Nobody can predict how a film will do on a Friday as there isn’t a winning formula. It is best to go ahead and make a film you believe in and after that, you forget about it. It is beyond your control,” he concludes.