The actor talks about how regional content and actors inspire him to experiment with creative ideas and being responsible while choosing scripts
In 2019, Manoj Bajpayee made his digital debut with The Family Man. He has appeared in a handful of web projects over the years. And according to him, one of the biggest plusses of the OTT boom is the explosion and wider reach of regional content.
Talking about how regional films have now gone global, Bajpayee says, “They touch upon stories and subjects that are far removed from the formula. They explore themes and experiment without any pressure of the commerce. And now, because of OTT, these regional films are bringing our country a lot of pride and honour. International film festivals also have a role to play in it.”
The 52-year-old credits regional film actors for inspiring him to take more risks. “I, as an industry person from Mumbai, try to follow and learn from them. One can take away from their creative ideas. Such amazing work is happening in other states and we should take a leaf from them,” he says, adding that he closely follows Tamil and Malayalam cinema.
Stressing on the need to include regional film industries as part of Indian cinema, he adds, “We should promote, back and support them. The mantra should be to hold each other’s hands and move together.”
Having recently won a National Award, Bajpayee says that he feels “responsible towards the career path” he wants to chart out. “I’ve taken this responsibility on myself right since my childhood when I first dreamt of being an actor. I’m my biggest critic and that’s why I behave responsibly while choosing my scripts. The fact that there has been no controversy in my career gives me a lot of conviction in the choices I’ve made over the years. I feel the pressure to always give my best to everything that I do and it isn’t an external one,” he ends.
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