New Delhi: Indian cinema’s stalwart, Manoj Bajpayee, hailed as a quintessential powerhouse of acting by his peers and fans alike, has consistently reinvented himself and captivated audiences with his compelling performances. In an industry that often measures success in box office numbers, Bajpayee has been the flag-bearer of content-rich and diverse storytelling. The seasoned actor is ready to delight fans once more, essaying dual roles in the upcoming Netflix thriller and dark comedy ‘Killer Soup,’ directed by Abhishek Chaubey.
On the verge of three decades in the industry, Bajpayee’s odyssey has been rife with challenges, poignant in his pivot from minor parts like that in Shekhar Kapur’s ‘Bandit Queen’ (1982) to his landmark role in Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Satya’ (1994). His career soared with critically lauded performances in films such as ‘Shool,’ ‘Kaun,’ ‘Rajneeti,’ ‘Gangs of Wasseypur,’ and ‘Aligarh.’ Amidst an environment dominated by commercial success, Bajpayee remains an outspoken critic of the industry’s fixation on blockbuster profits at the expense of creativity.
“It’s bothersome, annoying,” Bajpayee articulates with a fervor reflective of an artist true to his craft. The actor passionately believes that cinema’s evolution is stifled when the entirety of its merit is reduced to earnings. “If cinema has to evolve, it cannot evolve if your entire focus is the box office,” he asserts, implying that while profitability is essential for producers, it should not overshadow the essence of filmmaking.
His voice becomes a mirror reflecting a broader issue within the cinematic landscape – the correlation between box office returns and the quality of cinema itself. As record-breaking films like ‘Animal’ captivate the audiences and critics, one might wonder if cinematic success is becoming synonymous with financial triumph alone. This pattern raises questions about whether viewers are being conditioned to seek out only those films destined for commercial blockbuster status.
Manoj Bajpayee’s latest venture – ‘Joram’ – was a testament to his belief, released in theaters with an understanding of its niche appeal. He saw it as “a symbol from our side,” probing the tastes of an audience inundated with mainstream cinema. His aspiration, clear as the day: to realign the conversation in the industry from fleeting box office glamor to the enduring impact of superlative storytelling and performances.
Bajpayee’s illustrious career further flourished with the rise of Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms. Hailing these digital avenues as a sanctuary for innovative thinkers like him, he acknowledges the freedom and scope these platforms have provided. OTT services have set the stage for breakthrough series such as ‘The Family Man,’ where Bajpayee’s portrayal of a clandestine agent masquerading as a regular family man, Srikanth Tiwari, cemented his reign in the streaming arena. “OTT happened and helped us understand the possibilities as an actor,” Bajpayee reflects, crediting it for opening doors for nuanced narratives that were once overshadowed by commercial mammoths.
Notably, his director in ‘Satya,’ Ram Gopal Varma, has even been quoted saying that OTT was created with actors like Manoj Bajpayee in mind. Such an intimate relationship between an artist and medium is rare and speaks to the symbiotic power they hold in contemporary storytelling.
The actor’s fervent wish is for a seismic shift in the industry, from the obsession with box office figures to a fervent demand for compelling narratives and emotive performances. As he poignantly puts it, “Let us demand good stories from filmmakers and not 900 crores.”
With the premiere of ‘Killer Soup’ on Netflix from January 11, audiences can once again brace themselves for a fascinating descant engineered by Manoj Bajpayee. The promise of a ‘unique and thrilling’ experience is on the horizon, as the maestro takes on another portrayal destined to defy conventions in the world of dark comedy and streaming entertainment.
