After having wrapped up Missing, Traffic, Duronto, Saat Uchakkey and Aligarh, actor Manoj Bajpai says he had been waiting to do a short film. ‘I got an offer and took the plunge,’ he tells DEEBASHREE MOHANTY about his tribute to India’s 69th year of Independence through Jai Hind, a 6-minute film with co-star Raveena Tandon
Manoj Bajpai is known for his record speed in wrapping up full-length films, but the actor says he had been wanting to experiment with a shorter format for a long time. “I have bounced this idea to director Amit Sharma (Tevar) and he agreed to give it a shot. Unfortunately, nothing materialised. A few months later, as destiny would have it, another young director Vinay Jaiswal approached me with Jai Hind. It was just the break I was looking for,” Bajpai, at present enjoying the lull before his upcoming Bollywood releases, tells you.
Jai Hind, an initiative of Oyo rooms, talks about what would have happened had India not been Independent in 1947. “Through two very simple but realistic instances we have tried to remind our citizens about the hard work and sacrifice put in by our freedom fighters. Our generation is not aware of the times during the British Raj and hence do not respect their freedom as they should. There is a lesson in it for everyone,” says the thinking actor. Bajpai tells you that Raveena Tandon agreed immediately to be a part of this new format film.
Shot in Mumbai over just two days, Bajpai agrees that short films are physically draining on the actors but it is a challenge that every star wants to take on. “Acting wise, it is not any different from working in a Bollywood film. But in the short version, directors mostly work on a shoestring budget so working overtime to finish the film is the responsibility of the actors. There are other limitations too,” he explains.
It has been an eventful year for Bajpai who has already finished shooting for his upcoming five films — Missing which is a horror-thriller opposite Tabu, Rajesh Pillai’s Traffic, Saat Uchakkey where he will be seen with Kay Kay Menon and two most talked about films. “I feel honoured to be a part of Soumendra Padhi’s Duronto which is a biopic on the young marathon racer from Odisha, Budhia and his relationship with coach Bianchi Das who helped Budhia realise his true potential. It is one of the greatest roles that I have played thus far and the toughest of the lot,” Bajpai says. He talks about the intense training sessions and the research that took him into the interiors of Odisha.
Next up is another film which is touted to be Bajpai’s best ever performance till date. “In Aligarh, I play the role of Marathi professor Ramchandran Siras who was terminated from his post as he was gay. Siras committed suicide. This biopic was also a very tough one to do but I hope the audience appreciates the effort. Aligarh is going to be first released in the International circuit,” he says. Bajpai is certain that the film will see the light of day in India as well. “I have seen parts of the film and I feel there is nothing in it that deserves a ban,” he asserts.
Bajpai says there is no dearth of hard hitting concepts in Bollywood and it is untrue that directors are not up with meaningful cinema. “We have been a part of this intelligent wave from the time of Shyam Benegal. Actors have to be patient and good roles will eventually find them. It has taken me 22 years to arrive at a place where I want to be in,” he shares.