An Actor Should Never Be Recognised in Public: Manoj Bajpayee

Manoj Bajpayee, in an interview, talks about how an actor should come across as a common man, ‘Aligarh’ and ‘Traffic’

Manoj Bajpayee is a man in a hurry.

Be it endless media interviews or promotions for his latest film, Traffic – he has been whirling through events the last month, at superhuman speed. And yet, when he sits down to chat with you, Bajpayee doesn’t turn the interview into a rapid-fire round with staccato answers.

Instead, he mulls over each question and then responds with assurance. Most answers – be it about his love for acting or obsession with theatre – take one back to a childhood spent in Belwa, a village in Champaran, Bihar.

“I Would Try Out Different Roles In Front of the Mirror”

As a child, Bajpayee had been fascinated by “a job called acting”. However, he didn’t feel affinity with one particular kind of role; instead, he was pretty sure that he wanted to do them all.

I would try out different roles in front of the mirror in the loneliness of my room. It used to give me a kick!

Manoj Bajpayee

That feeling didn’t wither away with time; it only grew stronger. It is perhaps for this reason, that even after nearly two decades in the Indian film industry, Bajpayee has escaped the perils of being typecast in any genre or style of acting.

During the conversation, I try hard to find hints of the characters that he has played in his demeanour – may be the intensity of Shool’s Samar Pratap Singh or the playfulness of Maharaja Vijayendra Singh in Zubeidaa. There are none – as Bajpayee makes it a point to comes across as a “regular” person.

My theatre teachers used to tell me that an actor should be someone who should never be recognised in public. He should come across as a common man. Those words have stuck with me. So, whenever I choose roles, I am very particular that this role be different from the ones I have essayed in the past.

Manoj Bajpayee

And now, with Traffic, he essays the role of a traffic constable who gets involved in a situation where a heart has to be transferred from one location to another within a tight deadline.

Like Aligarh, this too is based on a true story. “I was quite taken in by the role of a traffic constable, who makes a mistake, is extremely vulnerable and wants to redeem himself,” says Bajpayee.

You can figure out by the rise and fall of the cadence in his voice which topics excite him and which don’t. For instance, when he starts talking about Aligarh, it’s evident that it’s something close to his heart. He simply rattles out words at full tilt and your mind has to run along to keep pace.

“A role of a fragile old man is often portrayed as a loser. On top of that he is gay – he is everything that is not attractive to a society that is looking for icons all the time. Yet, Siras was like an icon to me. The role was god sent.”

Of Experimenting With Different Genres

His attention to detail has stood him in good stead through the years. Yet, there was a time when his intense prep for roles in films such as Shool were taking a toll on him mentally.

“A psychiatrist friend was worried about the way the prep was impacting me. I was having insomnia, nightmares. With Pinjar (2003), I decided to change my approach. I don’t take the role home anymore after pack-up. I unwind – even if it’s for an hour.”

Now that Bajpayee is extremely comfortable with his craft and the space that he has carved for himself, he is looking for new experiences – short films, for one. He loves the creative platform that the medium offer to actors like him.

His role in the short film, Taandav, produced by Muvizz.com – a dedicated platform for independent filmmakers – got a whopping 1,052,121 views online. “I will be doing another short film by Muvizz.com. It’s a psychological thriller, directed by Shirish Kunder, and will be ready in June.”

He loves the creative platform that short films offer to actors like him.

“It’s two days of work. And, the visibility and creative satisfaction you get is unparalleled.”

(Avantika Bhuyan is a freelance journalist who loves to uncover the invisible India hiding in nooks and crannies across the country.)