Fearless for ‘Aligarh’

Actor Manoj Bajpayee on changing mannerism for ‘noble’ role in film

CHENNAI:

Actor Manoj Bajpayee says he didn’t hesitate to play a homosexual professor in National Award-winning film-maker Hansal Mehta’s critically acclaimed film Aligarh, which is based on a true story.

“As a person, I’m very fearless. Nothing really scares me apart from travelling in a plane. When it comes to experimenting with films or roles, I’ve never worried whether they will be liked by audiences and critics or not. The same goes for Aligarh as well,” Manoj said in an interview.

In the film, the Gangs of Wasseypur star plays a character inspired from Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who taught at the Aligarh Muslim University and was sacked from his position over his sexual orientation.

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“Once I was convinced about the script and vision of the director, I didn’t think about anything else. I worked fearlessly. I do films for myself and if somebody gets entertained and moved in the process, it’s good for me,” he said.

Manoj plays a 64-year-old and admits that playing an older character wasn’t as challenging as getting into his skin.

“Most actors are used to playing such roles. I don’t consider it unique for this character or for any roles I’ve played in my career. The challenging part was to get the mannerism of this character right, and to convey the loneliness,” Manoj said.

He added that it wasn’t easy to adapt to the character as it was quite different from the all the roles that he has played and observed in his career.

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Even though the story of Aligarh is about invading an individual’s privacy, people may still be offended by its homosexuality angle. Manoj doesn’t have any qualms about it. He’s confident that the film will be received positively.

“People have viewed it very positively worldwide and nobody cared about the sexual orientation part. Our focus was to make a film that will move the audience and we’re confident it will when it releases in India,” he added.

On working with Mehta, with whom he had worked many years ago in Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, Manoj said he was amazed by the expertise the former has acquired over the years.

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“I was moved when I watched Shahid. I wondered how much had Hansal changed as a film-maker since his first film. The expertise he has acquired over the years was visible in his work and that convinced me to reunite with him,” he said.

At the same time this role left a great impression on Manoj as a person. “My role in Aligarh is so gentle and pure hearted that it made me a better person. I have not seen a noble human like him [the character in Aligarh]. It is a great story to tell. You will be moved by the character,” he had said in an earlier interview. Aligarh, which also stars Rajkummar Rao, was the opening film at the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2015.

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