I have been intelligently stubborn: Manoj Bajpayee on chasing dreams, staying relevant

New Delhi: How does a farmer’s son from a Bihar village reach the pinnacle of his dreams in starry Mumbai where a million hopes are dashed and met every day. Manoj Bajpayee has the answer -- just be “intelligently stubborn”.

The actor, who has successfully owned both commercial and arthouse cinema as well as the big screen and the small with roles as diverse as Bhiku Mhatre in Satya and Srikant Tiwari in The Family Man, says he soon understood that circumstances can break those not committed to their dreams.

The boy from Belwa, who in many ways embodies the fairytale success story that could well be the plot of one of his films, figured it out early.

"You have to be intelligently stubborn and audacious. I say stubborn because otherwise circumstances and situations challenge you at every moment and make you doubt yourself," Bajpayee told PTI in an interview during a visit to the news agency’s headquarters.

"There is a saying, ‘you take four steps back before you take a leap’. I have not been too much in love with myself. I understood the circumstances.” After the breakout role in the 1998 underworld drama Satya, directed by Ram Gopal Varma and still remembered for Bajpayee’s portrayal of gangster Bhiku Mhatre, the offers came rolling in. All in the same mould. And Bajpayee wanted none of it.

“I was very stubborn about not getting typecast… The industry didn’t know what to offer me and thought if he is refusing, then offer a lot of money… but I knew I would not be a villain because if I do it then will not let me come out of it ever,” the 55-year-old said.

“I knew this even at that age,” he added citing the legendary actors Pran and Ajeet who found it near impossible to come out of the villain bracket.

Bajpayee, who will next be seen in the role of investigative journalist Joy Bag in director Kanu Behl's Despatch, slated for release on ZEE5 on December 13, said he understands that people have different destinies and destinations.

"If Manoj Bajpayee reached a certain point in his career, the same can be said about Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan or Kay Kay Menon. You don't need to emulate anyone." Growing up with showbiz dreams as one of six siblings, Bajpayee said his farmer father didn’t have the resources to support his ambitions. Bajpayee travelled to Delhi when he was just 17, pursued a college education as his mother wanted, did theatre and then landed up in Mumbai.

He debuted with a small role in Govind Nihalani's Drohkaal in 1994 and was first noticed in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen the same year. The big break was “Satya” where everyone sat up and noticed the youngster.

It propelled him into the big league, launching a three-decade career that is going as strong as ever. Along the way have been films such as Shool, Zubeida, Rajneeti, Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh and Sonchiriya. He did an easy segue into the small screen with Gulmohar, Sirf Ek Banda Kaafi Hai and the web show The Family Man now ready for its third season.

The success of "Satya" was "humongous", said Bajpayee. It changed not just his trajectory and the way cinema was viewed but also the lives of many young people back home. The journey from a small village to the silver screen gave others the courage to explore vistas beyond home, achieve success and not just in the movies.

It was perhaps the first time that a village boy from Bihar had made it big. The only other major successful actor from Bihar in the film industry till that point was Shatrughan Sinha.

"I was told that not just my village, district but many young people from the state left their homes after 'Satya'. Not all of them wanted to be actors, some for sure. Many of them left their homes because they felt that if this man is on the screen now, then why can't we do what we want to in our life? The courage to get out and strive outside your comfort zone was not there because there was no infrastructure, the actor said.

“With Shatru ji, everyone knew he came from an affluent family and was from Patna. He just needed to take a train to Delhi. We would first need to ride a tractor, then a bus and then a train to reach Delhi. It would take two and a half days just to reach Patna.” The casting for Bhiku Mhatre, whose dialogue "Mumbai ka king kaun" is now part of cinema history, is an interesting story in itself.

Bajpayee had gone to audition for Ram Gopal Varma’s 1997 Sanjay Dutt-Urmila Matondkar starrer "Daud". This was after "Bandit Queen", which had given him recognition but not a real break.

"When the film released every other actor got busy in the industry, only I didn't have any work." He remembers the audition like it was yesterday.

"When Ramu got to know that I played Mann Singh's character in 'Bandit Queen' four-five years ago, he told me, 'I have been trying to find out about you for four-five years but nobody had any idea about you so I couldn't get any number'. Now that I have found you, don't do this (‘Daud’) role. I am making my next and you will be the main lead in that’.” Bajpayee insisted he had to be in the film.

“I was like, 'Sir, give me this role and when that happens you can cast me in that later'. I am getting Rs 35,000 for this. This chance is very important for me at this time'." RGV stayed true to his promise.

“Satya” ended a long, tough journey though Bajpayee doesn’t quite call it a struggle. “The real struggle is that of a rickshaw-walla who will not have money if he doesn’t pull his rickshaw one day. It is not his dream… We were chasing our dreams.” From Bihar to almost a decade in Delhi theatre scene and then Mumbai, Bajpayee has belonged to different places at different times. But home will always be Belwa, his ancestral village.

"It is ironical that when I was there, I wanted to get out of the place. Now that god has given you a life and that you have made it, then you feel like going back."