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‘We are all grey characters’: Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee

Actor on diving head-first into playing an investigative journalist in 'Despatch'

“It’s a very serious thing that we do in a workshop,” says Manoj Bajpayee over a Zoom call with City Times. “It consists of many exercises to understand the script, to understand all the minute details of each and every character.”

He’s talking about his two-month journey to get into the skin of his character in Despatch, a crime drama now available on Zee5 Global in the UAE. In the film, directed by Agra-maker Kanu Behl and set in 2012, Bajpayee plays a print journalist who is grappling with a new medium of storytelling and exposé when he begins to pursue an investigation into Mumbai’s underbelly. “We are dealing with an investigative journalist’s journey chasing a Rs80 billion scam. Also, we are trying to do a character study,” says Bajpayee.

His character, Joy Bag, is loosely based on Jyotirmoy Dey, an Indian journalist who was fatally shot in broad daylight in Mumbai in 2011.

Bajpayee knows a lot about character studies, of course; he is an actor’s actor who has played meaty roles both on screen, over OTT and on the stage. “Medium doesn't matter to me,” says the performer. “Whichever gives me a chance to act, whichever medium is giving me good opportunities, I just go ahead and do it,” he shrugs.

And he’s been doing it for so long that he doesn’t quite remember when he first began to feel the creeping need to craft a character, to mould himself into a role. “Maybe I was nine years old. It also came from watching films and finding the world very, very attractive and quite exciting, just the idea of becoming an actor and becoming different characters,” he says.

Today, the 55-year-old has a slew of hits to his name including Family Man, where he plays Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class man who just happens to be a world-class spy, and revenge-fuelled gangster Sardar Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1.

Changing point

But it was the 1998 film Satya that really changed his career trajectory. “You know, a life-changing role doesn’t happen,” says Bajpayee, adding, “I’m still the same person; I’m still the same son and same brother and same husband. What changed my career, however, is definitely Satya.”

The actor made his acting debut in Droh Kaal in 1994, followed by a stint in Bandit Queen. But Satya drew him out of the shadows of the stage and launched him squarely into the spotlight. He would over the next few decades go on to work in hits such as Shootout at Wadala and Bhonsle .

He’s one of those actors you feel as an Indian it is your patriotic duty to support – like Priyanka Chopra Jonas or Naseeruddin Shah. And he proves his mettle; among his laurels are three Indian National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, and the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour for his contributions to art, which he was awarded in 2019.

“It’s a huge honour for any professional because it’s not an honour for just one particular film or performance. It’s an honour for your journey, for your conviction and belief that you had,” Bajpayee was quoted as saying by Indian media at that point.

While success has followed Bajpayee, his life hasn’t been all roses and blooms. The actor, whose roots lead to Belwa in the Indian state of Bihar, and who has spent years honing his craft in the capital city of New Delhi and on the star-studded sets of Mumbai, has spoken about his initial tough years in the movie industry. He was quoted as telling Mint, “I would starve the whole day. Production people would chase us out when we would approach them for work.” He has also spoken about how he had to hustle for his meals during this difficult phase, saying: “I used to find a familiar face first and then our conversation would lead to, ‘I am going to grab a bite, you want to join?’ And I would be like, ‘Sure’.”

So what kept him going through these lean periods? Stubbornness or that incessant need that people with a dream have to stay on track? “A love for the craft,” he tells City Times as though it’s the most obvious answer. “This is what I wanted to do from my childhood. This is what I’m doing, and I’m trying to do justice to my passion and search for improvement, for growth as an actor, because I love it that much.”

The down-to-earth star, known for his charitable endeavours, is also quick to dismiss the need for a star to live under a cloak of glamour. “Materialism doesn’t impress me, doesn’t attract me. I like to lead a basic life with my friends, with my near and dear ones. I have very basic needs, even my family, we are very happy where we are and we don’t intend to increase our expenses or our expectations,” he says.

He is however focused on how the industry can evolve – and be served by the new wave of tech (such as artificial intelligence) that’s percolating through various sectors, from movie making to journalism. “Every new technology will only enrich films and cinema, but definitely the filmmakers are very, very intelligent. They are going to use it to their advantage and not overuse it,” he says with confidence.

Speaking of journalism, Bajpayee, who says he’s given Despatch his all, told PTI: “Other films have hardly been able to touch upon a journalist’s life. They weren’t able to go in deeper. But if there is a film that captures all that darkness, swamp, and dangers, I can proudly guarantee, it’s Despatch.”

As for the most challenging aspects of his character, he tells City Times: “The most challenging was finding that the most grey area [of the character] and really making it human without letting the audience judge him too much, because grey is something that we all are, and we all are living with it.”

Despatch is currently streaming on Zee5 Global in the UAE.

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