Apr 052018
 

Manoj Bajpayee says bond with Baaghi 2 director, Ahmed Khan, not monetary benefits, drove him to play the antagonist in the film

Manoj Bajpayee
Manoj Bajpayee

Manoj Bajpayee had taken cinephiles by surprise when he chose to slip into the role of the antagonist in Tiger Shroff-starrer, Baaghi 2. In an interview with mid-day, he now reveals that his decision to give his nod to the film was motivated by emotions, not monetary benefits. “Ahmed Khan [director, Baaghi 2] and Mukesh Chhabra [casting director] are my friends. When they came home to offer the film to me, I was happy to agree,” says the actor.

Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 2
Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 2

Manoj Bajpayee says he can now afford the luxury of working for factors other than financial perks. “There are decisions you take for reasons other than money. I have worked for the sake of friendship in the past, and will continue to do so. If I turn a film down, my friends may feel I am too hard to get. I can afford to do a film for my pals because I have successfully established myself as an actor.”

Ahmed Khan
Ahmed Khan

With Baaghi 2 inching towards the Rs 100-crore mark, Manoj Bajpayee is happy that producer-friend Sajid Nadiadwala has yet another hit to his credit. Yet, it is the acclaim that leading man Tiger Shroff has been garnering that warms his heart. “Sajid bhai has had many hits, and is successful today. But the people who need this success are Tiger and Ahmed. Tiger is so devoted that, even between shots, he will practise his moves with his trainer. When you see the kind of devotion he harbours for his craft, you know he deserves to be successful. Ahmed too needs this hit. His last two ventures didn’t fare well.”

Also read: Post Baaghi 2’s success, Tiger Shroff thanks his mentor Sajid Nadiadwala

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Jan 272018
 

With both, commercial and arty ventures on his plate, Manoj Bajpayee discusses how content-driven cinema has given his kind a new lease

Manoj Bajpayee
Manoj Bajpayee

In 2016, a 10-15 line monologue by intelligence agent Ranvir Singh convincing Taapsee Pannu’s Shabana, in Naam Shabana, was proving to be onerous for Manoj Bajpayee. Unrelenting, director Neeraj Pandey had kept him going for 10 takes, and demanded yet another. That the role was offered to Bajpayee on a platter — Pandey literally permitted him to select his character — had made the feat even more cumbersome. “Any other actor in my place would have crumbled,” says Bajpayee, who was “up for the challenge” that the filmmaker hurled at him. And it certainly was one, given that Pandey even refused to point out what it was that was going amiss. “He only says, ‘Second take… third take… fourth take’. He is always looking for something, but the actor will never know what [that is],” Bajpayee says.

That his acting prowess is challenged 25 years into his career implies that Bajpayee welcomes a collaboration with Pandey. His fifth association, the forthcoming Missing, with Tabu, sees Pandey as producer, while the sixth, Aiyaary, has him wield the director’s baton. The intellectual fodder that they offer each other implies that Bajpayee is sure to pick up a conversation with the filmmaker daily, even when they aren’t filming. “Every week, we also grab dinner together at his office or at a restaurant, where stories and ideas make for discussion. Ever-so-often, he sends across a copy of his script for my opinion. He pays heed to them on some occasions, he rejects them on the others. We are similar, intellectually. He understands my dreams and expectations as an actor, and I trust him. But generally, we don’t interfere in one another’s business.”

Bajpayee with wife Neha and daughter Ava
Bajpayee with wife Neha and daughter Ava

Even as he awaits the February 9 release of Pandey’s Aiyaary, the actor has his hands full with three other ventures, each of which, interestingly, is targeted at a distinct audience. While Dipesh Jain’s In The Shadows has been appeasing the festival-going audience, Sajid Nadiawala’s Baaghi 2 hopes to draw viewers of mainstream cinema. Bajpayee also has Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK’s The Family Man set for a digital outing, a platform he touts as the “next big thing”. Evidently basking under the glory of the limitless offers, he credits the growth of contextually strong cinema for the increasing attention that cinematic talents have been acquiring. “We are finally heading towards a time when performance-driven actors will be at par with superstars. And that was exactly what the fight was about. The fight was never about mainstream cinema versus art-house films. We just wanted an industry where all sorts of actors could co-exist, and we’re heading there.”

Neeraj Pandey
Neeraj Pandey

Yet, the eventual exhaustion of commercial cinema is unlikely, given the far-reaching effects of mainstream films. “It [commercial cinema] is a genre that is important. It reaches small towns, villages and multiplexes too. But, because of the changing world, especially the growth of the internet, there’s a large audience looking for great content as well. As a result, you get to see films like Aligarh and Budhia Singh.” The demand for great content, he says, is coupled with the desire to see stronger performance from actors of his kind. “Viewers want actors who are known to deliver with their performances to be at par with Western artistes. Also, their demand from every actor is different. They want to see a Salman Khan in a [film like] Tiger Zinda Hai. When they come to see Manoj Bajpayee, they want him [Bajpayee] surprise them with new acts. So, our job is to be really good in every role. And fortunately, while a Tiger Zinda Hai is working, a Newton is too. And this is healthy. There has always been a Robert De Niro and an Al Pacino, but there has also always been a Tom Cruise.”

While his fans would be up for a debate, Bajpayee insists, he has never been a talented actor. Harbouring the love for the craft since childhood, he says he knew he would need to off-set his perceived lack of flair with toil. “I need to work hard to recite every single line. I keep practicing it quietly before I’m required to deliver it. Also, I work on understanding the back-story of my character. If there isn’t one, I try to create it. Because I hold on to it for long. I can’t switch on and switch off. For me, if it’s switched on, it is on for a long time.”

A busy schedule sees Bajpayee neck-deep in work until August. But, after that he intends to take a four-month sabbatical to “refuel” himself for his forthcoming commitments. “It’s an essential for an actor if s/he wishes to be ready for every venture,” says the actor, as he goes on to spill the beans on how he intends to unwind.

“I have already started learning to cook. I’ve realised that it is something that I am slowly growing interested in. I want to cook meals for my daughter and surprise her with one dish or another. I want to give her the memory of her father’s dishes.”

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Jun 292013
 

http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2013/jun/290613-satyagraha-release-date-august-30-bollywood.htm

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Prakash Jha’s ‘Satyagraha’ to release on August 30

Filmmaker Prakash Jha’s socio-drama ‘Satyagraha’ starring biggies like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor will hit the screens on August 30

UTV Motion Pictures and Jha announced the release date of the multi-starrer with an impressive cast including Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee and Amrita Rao among others, a statement issued here said.

'Satyagraha' posterSatyagraha’ poster

“August is a very crowded month with three big movies releasing back to back. We have a two-weeks clear window now for ‘Satyagraha’ and all three much awaited movies in August will get their due breathing space,” said Jha.

The other two big films to release in August are Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Chennai Express’ (August 8), Milan Luthria’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara’ (August 15).

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