'MAINSTREAM PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MANOJ BAJPAYEE'

In a chat with us at IFFI, the actor shares why commercial cinema never attracted him, his love for independent films and how OTT 'empowered' him

- Monika Rawal Kukreja

It has been three years since Manoj Bajpayee had a theatrical release, but the actor isn't complaining. Instead, he has been making his presence felt in the OTT space with back-to-back releases.

This year, his web projects - Gulmohar and Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai earned rave reviews. As the films were screened at the ongoing 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Bajpayee is grateful for all the love and adulation. "I have done very few films that gave me a chance to experience euphoria inside the theatre. Satya (1998) was one of them. It gave me a high. I would think that in this industry, I'd only get to do character roles, or play heroine ka bhai or the villain's henchman. And suddenly, I had a career, which I never thought was possible. Then I got a high with Raajneeti (2010) and the dialogue Karara jawaab milega'. Also, during Satyamev Jayate (2018), people whistled and cheered on my entry," Bajpayee tells us the morning after his films were screened at a packed theatre at IFFI.