I’m a big fan of Rishab and Raj B Shetty and their works, says Manoj Bajpayee

“It was surreal for me. It doesn’t leave my mind for the fact that a folk tale or the local stories are so effectively presented to the audience. Of late, a few Kannada films have inspired me a lot including Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (2021).”

He was talking about the independent films down South that have caught his attention lately.

Manoj Bajpayee noted, “Malayalam films were always known for such experiments. But even the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada industries, which were not so frequently making such films, are  now bringing out some of the finest films in the recent past.”

“The Tamil film Jai Bhim (2021) is one such impressive film that talks about injustice and discrimination,” he pointed out.

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‘Joram raises important questions’

Admitting that Joram is special to him, Manoj Bajpayee explained that the film raises a lot of questions.

“Of the many aspects, it talks about the increase in the divide between villages/jungles and cities. It is because of such divide in society that someone somewhere is paying the price.”

Though, at its heart, Joram is a survival chase thriller, it also holds a mirror to society. The movie is based on the real world and not exactly based on any real incident, the actor points out. 

A poster of the film ‘Joram’. (X)

In the flick, Manoj Bajpayee has performed alongside some of the finest actors in the country.

When asked about the most challenging aspect while performing in Joram, he replied, “When Devashish gave me the script, the first thing I asked him was how he plans to shoot the sequences involving the baby. The toughest part was to perform along with the three-month-old kid. An actor cannot afford to not be in his character,” he recalled.

The Bollywood actor recollected that the film had many sequences where he needed to run while holding the baby.

“I was worried and conscious at times when filming the scenes. Sometimes, when I was so immersed in my act and eventually realised that the baby was all the time in my arms. I would feel the worst kind of chills down my spine,” he added.

Manoj Bajpayee said the director specially deputed three persons just to take care of the baby. There were action sequences involving bomb blasts and firing shots composed in close vicinity.

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Three decades of acting

The actor, who made his debut with a minor role in Dhrohkaal (1994) and also as a dacoit in Shekar Kapoor’s Bandit Queen in 1994, is all set to complete three decades as an actor.

“It has been quite a journey. I was not born with thick skin. A rollercoaster ride it has been and over the years I developed a thick skin and eventually ended up doing what I wanted to do to empower me as an actor,” Manoj Bajpayee said.

He added, “Everyone will face ups and downs in their career and when I was going through struggling days, I just worked on myself to better myself when the right opportunity knocks on my door.”

Apologises for delay

Manoj Bajpayee and ‘Joram’ director Devashish Makhija. (Supplied)

Before sharing his Joram experience, Manoj Bajpayee had to face the ire of the Bengaluru media for coming late to the press meet.

The Joram press event was scheduled to start at 2 pm on 6 December. But the actor and the director arrived at 3.40 pm to address the media.

By then, a majority of the Bengaluru media had left the venue.

However, after a brief delay, the media returned when the actor apologised for the delay. He said the team had been running around the country for the promotion and traffic conditions had delayed them to reach on time.

Manoj Bajpayee even appreciated and thanked the media for coming back to cover the event despite them being so late.

About releasing Joram in the Hindi language alone, the actor justified that they used a certain dialect in the film.

“Moreover, since the movie is so universal, language will not be a barrier in experiencing it,” he signed off.

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