That Manoj Bajpayee has a cult following not only among audiences but also filmmakers and actors is no secret. Recently, speaking to us, Jaideep Ahlawat had revealed that it was Manoj who had recommended him for Gangs Of Wasseypur. He had also suggested Anurag Kashyap as a writer to Ram Gopal Varma for Satya. But Manoj, who’s known to not take himself too seriously, doesn’t want to make a big deal out of these stories. According to him, good talents shouldn’t be kept away from a film set for too long.
In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, he says, “Look, I’ve not done any favour on Jaideep. I keep recommending different actors to my directors. When I see talent, I really feel like it’s upon me to cut their journeys short. I’ve gone through
it and I don’t really want anybody with potential to go through it [their struggles] over a long period of time. I don’t like seeing people waste their time and talent by struggling.”
While he acknowledges Jaideep’s remarks of how much he has been an influence on his craft, Manoj states that he’s glad that he also looks up to an able actor like Irrfan. “It’s very nice and gracious of Jaideep to say that he has been inspired by me. But there’s one thing I know – that he and many of his [FTII] batchmates have been inspired by Irrfan’s journey. They’ve spoken to me about it. I think it’s great. I believe that most young actors should be inspired by people who’re authentic as actors,” he says.
And like a true mentor figure, Manoj doesn’t shy away from sharing his feedback with other actors. “Jaideep, Raj (Rajkummar Rao), Vijay (Varma) and Sunny (Hinduja) maybe inspired by me but it doesn’t matter. What matters to me is that their intentions are pure and their choices are right. If I see a great performance by Jaideep, Raj or Vijay, I make it a point to call them and discuss their work at length. You can ask them. I believe this is how the community of actors should behave and not feel insecure of each other,” he tells us.
Jaideep, who’s locking horns with Manoj in The Family Man 3, ‘clearly remembers’ being star-struck when he saw him for the first time. “We were doing Chittagong. We were rehearsing for a scene where a few of us were being interrogated by a British officer. Manoj bhai was just passing by and walking towards his van. I saw him and was like, ‘Oh god! Manoj Bajpayee!’ We all have a checklist of actors we desperately want to work with,” he shares.
The Paatal Lok and An Action Hero actor further adds, “Manoj bhai was one of them for me. I’ve done two films with him. In Gangs Of Wasseypur, he played my son and we didn’t get to share the screen. In Chittagong, I was too nervous while doing my scenes with him. I retreated into a shell and told myself, ‘Nahi, inse zyaada baat nahi kar sakte’.”
