Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
One of the most important film festivals in India, International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kickstarted in Goa on Wednesday amid fanfare. In one of the panels on Day 1 of the event, actor Manoj Bajpayee spoke in a masterclass that explored his acting style, his film choices, and how independent cinema will find its way out of the doldrums
Bajpayee is undoubtedly one of the very few actors of his stature who consistently work with young filmmakers, many of whom are rank newcomers. Talking about what prompts him to make such choices, especially at this juncture in his career, the actor said, “When I was doing Gangs Of Wasseypur, I realised that this industry is not going to give me what I want. They weren’t writing the scripts that I wanted and not giving opportunities to the talents who have it in them. That’s when I realised I have to look for my own directors and scripts or you just wait for eternity for that one script to happen to you, and I was desperate!”
They say life starts at 40, and Manoj Bajpayee knew he had crossed that ‘golden age’ and had to catch up with the world instead of waiting for that right script to come to him. “That’s when I started watching a lot of short films on YouTube. In that search, I found too many people. That’s when I went for the new filmmakers – Dipesh Jain (Gali Guleiyan), Kanu Bahl (Despatch). I knew I had too much to express but there was nobody in the industry who was able to give me that.” It is this need to not be boxed into a category that prodded Bajpayee to find the filmmakers who would give him films that tested him the most. “As an actor, mainstream films is not something I prefer, it puts you into one kind of genre.”
The actor was also quite reflective about how everything is not hunky dory with the non-mainstream films. He stated that independent cinema is forever in flux, and it isn’t going places right now. “We are at our lowest right now. We thought there is a strong platform for independent cinema, but now even the OTT platforms have stopped welcoming that kind of creativity,” said Bajpayee, who believes it is just time before indie cinema gets back on the crest. “We are living in a time of uncertainty. It kind of reflects everywhere. One day, independent cinema will rise again. Independent cinemas are the only kind of cinema that is staying true to the definition of cinema as an art,” he said.
ALSO READ: IFFI 2024 opens in Goa | World polarised, let our stories talk: Shekhar Kapur
Manoj Bajpayee, who was last seen in Bhaiyya ji, is awaiting the release of Kanu Bahl’s much-awaited Despatch, which will have its premiere at IFFI 2024.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
