In Bollywood you
have the big stars on one side and the actors on the other. But there are
a few names who have managed to straddle both worlds. The most prominent face
in this league is none other than Manoj Bajpayee.
With his
film Saat Uchakkey in theatres now, we caught up with the actor for a
tete-a-tete. Excerpts from the conversation:
In a
departure from your kind of serious cinema, Saat Uchakey was promoted as a
commercial masala comedy film...
See it's
not a comedy film. It's a film with a purpose. But because of the kind of
characters in the film, their behavioral patterns, the dialogues, etc -
everything will make you laugh. That's what brings in the funny element.
Image Source: comingtrailer
This is your
fourth release of the year, and you also were part of two short films this
year. You aren't known to be this prolific. What's different in 2016?
Actually Saat
Uchakkey was supposed to release last year. But because of censor board
hassles, it couldn't. Also Traffic was supposed to come last year, but because
of some unfortunate incidents it couldn't. So it was a complete accident that
these two films came out this year. Only Aligarh and Budhia Singh had been
planned for this year. Apart from that Tandav and Kriti, the two short films
appealed to me a lot, and that's why I did it. There is another short film
which is ready, and it's going to come out in the end of October. Doing a short
film is like exploring a different medium. It is a platform where you
know that good work can happen and people take it seriously. Actors, directors
should also take it seriously. This was always part of my plan. I am also part
of Movizz.com, which is trying to promote good cinema on the digital
platform.Tandav went to win so many awards, and Kriti also hit such a high
landmark on YouTube. It just goes to show that great content can change that
platform, and it should be used wisely and discreetly also.
Kriti was
dragged into a plagiarism row. What do you have to say about that?
I try to avoid
talking about controversies. With Kriti, we got dragged into a controversy. I
was really upset about it, because everything happened right in front of me.
The film originated in front of me, and suddenly someone else was trying to
claim it as theirs. That kind of upset us.
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You are a
supporter of digital releases, do you think that's the way forward?
Yes, that's the
future. And it's the already happening in the west. All the content goes on
Netflix and Amazon, and the ones that release in theatres are all hyped up
films or 3D cinema. So yes, digital is the way forward. Digital is the platform
which will be dominated by serious content. And if you are a connoisseur of
good cinema, it is always going to be available there.
You talked
about Saath Uchakkey being stuck with the censors. What happened there?
Actually it
all happened in stages. First we submitted our film to CBFC, then we
submitted it to the supervising committee, then we went to the tribunal where
we had 3 screenings. So they have been extremely patient with us. There were
about 170 curse words which they put a question mark on. 60 among them were
modified. The rest 110 are still there. So I would say that they were very,very
generous and co-operative with us.
Do you think
the strict censoring of films is causing a move towards the web, as there
are no censors there?
No. Not because
of that. The films which are being made for theatres are releasing in theatres
and the ones made for the digital platform are going there. As far as CBFC is
concerned, I am hoping that someday Shyam Benegal's recommendations will be
taken into account so that the clash between the filmmakers and the CBFC will
come to an end.
In recent
times even big banners have halted their mega-budget star studded
films to move towards content-driven films. Do you think that's something to
look forward to?
I don't think
it's happening exactly like that. Good content is still looking for support in
this industry. There are very few films - you can count them on your finger
tips - which are being supported by the big players. The reason for this is
that the audience is not changing. Leaving aside a few random ones, the
audience is completely disinterested in the good content driven films. I am
still waiting for the audience to change.
Go on..
Yes, the
audience has to change. They are the ones spending the money. They have to be
responsible for the money that they are spending. A good film is very good for
your health (laughs).
Image Source: okhindi
As an actor
do you feel let down when a film like Aligarh or Traffic or Budhia Singh
doesn't show the big numbers on box office?
I have gone
numb. I just do a film, promote it aggressively because I believe in the film,
and once it's gone, I forget about it and move on to the next project. I have
done my job and have been very, very responsible with my career. Now the
audience has to be responsible enough to go to the theatres and spend their
money on good cinema.
You are also
turning producer pretty soon. How did that happen?
Believe me, that
was just by chance. Neeraj Pandey happens to be a very good friend of mine. We
have respect for each other's work and personality.I believe him completely, he
is a very transparent person. He is the kind of man that I am in life. So when
he came up to me and wanted me to be part of the whole production thing, and
put my name in front of a movie, I agreed. I knew that they didn't have that
much money in that project, so I decided to be there and make sure that the
shooting happened smoothly. I am also a part of the film, and also the
producer. It was a great experience, but I don't know how often would I be
able to produce films. It may happen, it may not happen again.
So when are
finally going to see the film, as it has been in the making for quite a long
time?
Next year,
January-February it would hit the theatres.
I cannot let
you go without talking about the debate surrounding the ban
on Pakistani actors in Bollywood. What's you take on the full episode?
If I say
anything in favour of it, there will be news. If I say anything against it,
there will be news around it. I don't want any noise around me regarding this
matter. I hate noise. I hate an atmosphere where any kind of opinion will be
protested aggressively, and I will be called names for it. Very wisely I am
backing out of making any comment on it. Also, I think it's an international
matter. Let the government take a decision. Who are we to give an opinion on
something which we are not so much aware of ourselves. International matters is
not a child's play. Neither you nor me is fully aware of the situation. Only
the government and the ministry is completely aware of the happenings. Let them
make a decision and I shall fully abide by it.
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