Manoj Bajpayee: ‘Our job as actors is to find life’s complexities and portray them’

Manoj Bajpayee in 'Bandaa', releasing on May 23.

Inspired by true events, Zee5’s forthcoming film Bandaa is about an ordinary lawyer taking on a corrupt and powerful godman. The trailer that dropped recently sees Manoj Bajpayee bringing his A-game to the story as the lawyer who wants to uncover the truth of the godman and bring justice to an innocent girl. The Padma Shri-awardee, who received accolades for his recent performance in the family drama Gulmohar, talks about his latest project, why he loves Malayalam cinema and completing 30 years in the film industry next year. Edited excerpts:

You have never played a lawyer in any of your films yet.

Many years ago, there was a serial on Doordarshan called Swabhimaan where I played one, but that was more of a family drama, not a courtroom drama.

What made you greenlight Bandaa?

The story is based on true events and my character is somebody who is out there in the real world, doing his job. He is a religious man who takes care of his old mother and young child. He’s not an intense person. He tries to be a good son and father. He likes to be unassuming. When you meet him, you can’t really guess as to what makes him take up this kind of case which could cost him his life. All these qualities about him somehow made me feel that this is the right character I should explore my craft in.

In a recent interview, you had said that every character leaves some injuries on your subconscious. Can you elaborate on that and does it get easier over the years?  

It doesn't get easier. You have to live the character and completely get immersed into it and hit all the right notes every day. It is a very difficult task which requires a lot of practise, a lot of hard work and preparation. One lives the character for 60-70 days and suddenly one day, the shoot gets over and you think it’s done, but no. You have lived it. You have made it your own. I had forgotten about Manoj Bajpayee for the duration when I was playing it, so how can it go away so easily? It cannot.

You choose to engage with complex characters. Even in your last film Gulmohar, you played a guy who is dealing with multiple things. What is the joy you derive out of playing such characters?

All of us are complex. Name one person who does not have complexities. If you are a human being, you will deal with complexities and these come from your own journey. Life is brutal to everyone. It gives you so many complexities which you cannot avoid. Our job as actors is to find those complexities and portray them.

The roles you played in the early years of your career were more aggressive, whereas there is a certain thhehraav or maturity/mellowness in the ones you choose to do now. Would you put that down to age or experience?

When one was young, the roles were written like that. When I played Bhiku Mhatre (Satya, 1998), one only saw me playing intense characters. Then people watched Shool (1999) and they could only think of those kinds of roles for me. But for me, it was all about choosing the right script and a great role and whenever I got a chance to deviate away from the intensity, I did. For instance, movies such as Kaun? (1999) or Zubeidaa (2001). We would not get great scripts very often. The film industry was mostly making only one kind of action films or one kind of intense films or romantic films. There was not much for us. We had to wait for eight months to a year to get another script. Things started changing after Satya. New directors and storytellers started coming in, those who were writing good stories, making good films and needed actors and I was one of the people they could go to.

A few months ago, there had been talk of you being part of the Malayalam film Kurup which was just a rumour but you had mentioned at the time that you would love to do a Malayalam film. Have there been any offers? What do you like about Malayalam cinema?

There had been one offer but I could not be a part of it because of an issue with dates. I mostly watch Malayalam films. I am such a fan of the actors there. I will be like a fanboy if I ever meet them! (laughs) I didn't even know some of their names at the time. I loved the work of Soubin Shahir who played Saji in Kumbalangi Nights (2019) and also Guru Somasundaram who played the negative lead in Minnal Murali (2021). Then of course, there are legends such as Mammootty and Mohanlal. There is Fahadh Faasil who is doing so well as well as Tovino Thomas. Prithviraj Sukumaran is experimenting with the mainstream. There are way too many good actors and directors. Look at the writing! Malayalam cinema has really been treating cinema as a medium of art.

It is going to be three decades of Manoj Bajpayee with the movies next year. It is usually said that in the initial years of your career, it is the roles that chose you and not the other way around, but you seem to have resisted the temptation and chosen scripts of your liking. How challenging has that been?

It was extremely difficult. There was a resolve to create a certain filmography and I am on that path all the time. I want to leave behind a filmography for my daughter to be proud of me, for my wife to be proud of me and for my near and dear ones to be proud of me and the only way I have tried to do that is by choosing scripts.

You seem quite fed up with people asking you about the third season of The Family Man but we would just like to know what Srikant Tiwari (his character in the web-series) has brought to your life?

He has brought me so much love and so much respect. He has really widened my fan base from north to south and even internationally. I owe a lot to Srikant Tiwari.