Manoj Bajpayee
Even as Aligarh attracts appreciation from critics and crowds, there is a ‘ban’ imposed on it.
Our job is to make films and not find meaning in such restrictions. Filmmakers in Iran face too many restrictions. Still, they keep making movies and reach out to audience across the world. The ban on Aligarh shows the closed mindset of a certain section of people, especially since they have not even watched the movie before making such a move. Some time ago, there was an article on how the career of some actors went downhill after they played gay characters. I laughed then and am laughing now.
After going through your share of ups and downs, how important is Aligarh at this juncture of your career?
In a career spanning 22 years, every creative person goes through some ups and downs. However, it is important to keep the conviction intact. No matter how much you drift, you should know when to go back to the conviction you have. It has never been easy for me. When Satya released in 1998, I was the only actor looking for niche films. I used to be very impractical and idealist in those days. Each and every offer that I was getting was of a villain or an elder brother. Or, I would be approached for some insignificant roles.
The wait used to be very long and there was almost no money. When you are doing a film like Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar (2000), 90 per cent chance is that it won’t run and there would be a modest remuneration. I knew that what I want to do would take time. I was ready to put everything at risk and just try to survive for something which is a very impractical or idealistic dream for others.
Yet, you have been doing both commercial as well as non-mainstream movies.
I took a conscious decision of doing a few commercial films to buy a house for myself in Lokhandwala, Mumbai. I fell in love with the place. I had paid for the 75 per cent of its cost at the time of purchasing it and the remuneration from these films helped me clear the remaining 25 per cent I had taken as home loan.
What was your process for approaching a nuanced role of Prof Shrinivas Siras in Aligarh?
It was not tough to find his body language, which took two to three days. My focus was to discover the poet in him. I tried to understand his love for poetry, Lata Mangeshkar’s songs and whisky. I got someone to read Marathi poetry to me to help me get a feel of it and to speak to me in basic Marathi so that I could get a hang of the language.
I did a few exercises on my own in whatever time I got with my family, with a four-year-old around. My wife understood the seriousness of the film and kept the child away for the three hours that the Assistant Director used to be with me.
Are you happy about the fact that a number of non-mainstream films are enjoying a good theatrical run today?
So many new kinds of films are being made today. I am proud to have made some contribution to it. It is heartening to find so many actors like me doing well professionally. With Aligarh being appreciated by the media and the people, the endeavour is being taken forward. If we want to push the envelope, this is the time. We should not relax and keep pushing the envelope farther and farther for greater things to happen.
You seem to be trying out different formats. Your short film Taandav is a hit on the internet.
Taandav is based on a full-length film script by Devashish Makhija. Though I have been backing it for some years, it has not found a producer yet. I opted to do Taandav for a platform of short films that I am trying to promote, to increase the chances of finding a producer.
