‘Making reels isn’t acting; training is a must’

Bajpayee emphasised on the methodology of learning the craft. "Training is the most important thing but sadly there are only a few institutes that teach the craft of acting. People should do theatre," he said.

Throughout the acting masterclass at the recently concluded Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), Manoj Bajpayee was seated on the edge of the sofa, as if ready to spring into action any moment. The actor, who was helming the masterclass, said he is in love with acting, the craft. “So many times people ask me why you don't direct (films). But the story (of acting) is not ending," he said, explaining why he was restless on stage.

He emphasised on the methodology of learning the craft. "Training is the most important thing but sadly there are only a few institutes that teach the craft of acting. People should do theatre," he said. Pointing to Rabindra Sadan (cultural centre of Kolkata), he instantiated, “I have performed here so many times. But, now, because of the digital explosion and immediate exposure and fame, people are making reels and they think that is acting. That’s the irony of the time we’re living in,” said the actor who has about 10 years experience in theatre. “People make a podcast or a video blog and put it out on YouTube and start counting 'likes'. This is pure distraction,” he rued. He fears that the number of good actors and directors will come down in the future if this trend continues.

Bajpayee then shared about the improvisational process that helped him hone his craft. “People talk about my improvisation because I’ve worked a lot on that aspect. I used to find a news item in the newspaper, create a short story out of it and give myself one role and keep working on that role every day. When all my actor-friends would visit (me) to drink or to party, I used to tell them, 'First you see how I have prepared (for the role) only then I will serve you what you want'.”

Bajpayee is of the impression that improvisation is not being put to right use in Indian films. “It is (being) used by an actor to either overpower the scene or overpower other actors, and it always backfires,” he added. Instead, improvisation should enhance or contribute to a scene or shot. If multiple actors are improvising in a shot, they should not try to one-up each other. It should be a collaborative process and it's on the director to make the atmosphere collaborative, he noted.

Bajpayee hones his craft any time he gets and said other actors should do the same. “When I travel in a bus, I make a scene out of it (the situation) in my head and keep thinking about it... If you work on yourself today you (may) get one opportunity by Sudhir Mishra and you will hit it out of the park. But if you’re not working on yourself and are like a machine that is rusted, you will not leave an impression on your director’s mind. I feel you should work very hard when there’s 'no work'”. You cannot expect your directors to do a workshop before every film, he reasoned.

He also spoke about how he chooses his scripts. The premise should be engaging and unique, he said and illustrated it with the example of ‘Aligarh’, a film about a gay Marathi professor. In a scene in this Hansal Mehta-directorial, Bajpayee’s character is seen shaking his feet while listening to a song on the radio.

Deconstructing how he went about the scene, he shared, "After re-reading the script, which had only four dialogues and no instructions, I felt that the focus shouldn’t be on his sexuality but on his love for Marathi poetry, music and literature. I did not work on the sexuality (aspect) at all. I kept it subtle so that people may not recognise it (right away). I focused on his loneliness and his quest for the true meaning of love.”

Acting in webseries requires a different level of preparation, said the actor, who drew great praise for his role as a middle-aged investigation agent in the series 'The Family Man'. Declaring that acting in webseries is the most difficult of it all, he advised, “You have to prepare a performance graph. Otherwise you’ll not get a hang of the character’s consistency. While shooting a series, I read 4-5 scenes that come before and after the one that I am shooting for to keep my character's (personality) consistent."