'I Have Always Given 200 Percent To Every Role': Manoj Bajpayee On Reinventing Himself, Choosing Substance Over Stardom

Like so many great artistes, Padma Shri Manoj Bajpayee is a chameleon par excellence. Initially famous after playing Bhiku Mhatre in Satya (1998), which came almost a decade after his debut on television, Manoj keeps experimenting prolifically with film genres as with positive, negative and comic characters.

His best films are too well-known to be enumerated here, illustrating the appreciation he has received for over three decades. What’s more, he has hosted the crime show, Savdhaan India: Crime Alert as well as Neeraj Pandey’s Secrets series—Secrets of Sinauli, Secrets of the Koh-i-noor and Secrets of The Buddha Relics.

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Characters inspired by real life have also been Manoj’s forte, and the list includes his title-role as Inspector Zende (2025), which has led to his second film with its director, Chinmay Mandlekar, the recent Governor.

Excerpts from the interview:

We came to know that it was you who recommended Chinmay as director to producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah.

Yes, I did. When Vipul signed me for the subject, we did not have a director. He was looking for someone able enough to handle such a tricky subject in a mainstream genre. After working with Chinmay on Inspector Zende, I found him very capable and brilliant—a great mind that was sound in technique too. Vipul was a shade apprehensive as he had not seen his work, for Inspector Zende had not yet released. He met Chinmay and told him that he was going simply by my recommendation. But after watching the first five days of work, he thanked me!

Still, Inspector Zende was an entertainer, while Governor is serious and in-depth.

I don’t think Inspector Zende can be termed that way. It was a middle-if-the-road film. The beauty was that since so many films had already been made on the Charles Sobhraj story, Chinmay thought of looking at the story differently—from the humorous point of view. Its irony was not lost as five inspectors and constables were able to trap an elusive and international criminal who was also a Martial Arts expert!

The way Chinmay interpreted the story and my character, whose biggest strength was his tenacity and willpower, convinced me that he had a unique vision. I thought that Chinmay, apart from being what he is—a terrific actor—would be the right person to direct such a crucial subject, and that there is no else today who could have directed Governor so well.

How familiar are you with the actual crisis that happened in 1991?

I was doing mainly theatre when the actual crisis was happening, so whatever I knew then was through newspapers. The efforts and political maneuverings were happening behind closed doors were things I was totally unaware of then. I got educated on this by reading the script, and learned the details through articles on the ‘Net and social media and my research on Shri Venkitaraman, the Reserve Bank governor. It is then that I started ‘knowing’ him, and why he was chosen to bail our country out of its worst crisis though he was an IAS and no economist. And why he succeeded.

This is neither your first biopic nor your first character inspired from real life. How different or difficult are such portrayals for you?

I prefer to do biopics of not-so-well-known individuals, for then I have the freedom to shape the character. I am more interested in the idea of the person and his essence. That way, I get a lot of liberty to create a character and give him my own graph, for I like to blend the core of that person with the interpretation of Manoj Bajpayee! If a person is too well-known, say, for his walk and talk, that would not be possible!

You had once told me that your career is based on an array of flops and a sporadic hit. And you still keep getting accolades for projects that do not perform well.

(Smiles) See, the producers and directors give the jobs to us actors, but we are not accountants who work in a fixed manner and collect their pay at the end of the month! I have always given 200 percent to every role I have done. Thankfully, Governor has also come at the perfect time for me. With the experience I have accumulated and my having reached a certain maqaam (position), I think that I was also better equipped to deal with the intricacies of this character.

You recently stated that Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary remains one of your top favourites. It’s been a long association of 13 years with the filmmaker, which began with Special 26. You have hosted three shows for him, done movies, and even the short film, Ouch. And now, you are doing his new film as well. Were any of these characters based on real people?

In Aiyaary, the base was real, but we fictionalized a lot as Neeraj wanted to make a mainstream film. I loved the script and my character of a colonel who was stubborn, intelligent and courageous, like a suicide bomber who can penetrate anywhere. He also has a family and he absolutely hates anyone going against his country. Yes, I have done a lot of work with Neeraj, and after Special 26, his format of writing has been unique. I still tell him that from all our work, Aiyaary remains my top favourite! Our forthcoming film needs a change of title and we will begin to promote it as soon as things are finalized.

You have done some of the best art and middle-of-the-road cinema and besides the good ones, some of the worst of mainstream cinema, like Money Hai To Honey Hai! How would you describe the paradox?

There are people who tell me, “Manoj, why do you do commercial cinema?” My reply is that if my work is below par in them, they can let me know! The example you mention, Money Hai To Honey Hai, was a different kind of commercial movie and I was disappointed that it did not run because I was alongside Govinda, who is a kamaal ka superstar, in it. Working with him was a great challenge. But the success of films like Special 26, Satyameva Jayate and Raajneeti all created a market for me that enabled me to do films of my own choice, like Bhonsle or Joram.

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What can we expect next from you?

Apart from Neeraj’s film, there is Ram Gopal Varma’s horror-comedy that will arrive in a month or two.

In our last meeting eight years back, you had told me of your wish to leave behind 30 great films as your legacy, and added that there were still 20 to go for that goal! What is your score now?

(Laughs) I must have crossed 20 now!

And hopefully you will continue even after reaching that magic figure.

Let me reach there first. Then I will decide my future target!

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