Mumbai, Oct 23 (PTI) As a public figure, Manoj Bajpayee says he has developed a thick skin but when “nameless, faceless” people started dragging his family into the controversy surrounding the previous title of his film “Gajab Raat”, the actor felt concerned about their safety.
The Netflix film announced in February this year as “Ghooskhor Pandat”, a title that triggered a social media backlash with several users, politicians and organisations calling it “casteist and offensive”. The makers later changed the title.
Bajpayee said the team never imagined that the title would become such a big issue.
“… You go ahead and assault me with the worst thing, I’ll take it because I’m an actor. I’ve had a journey from rejection to everything (where) you are called all sorts of things. So you are thick-skinned.
“At the end of the day, I feel bad all those people, who are either very ignorant or have less knowledge about life… What really concerned me and offended me to no bits is when they started publishing the photo(s) of my family and saying things,” Bajpayee told PTI in an interview.
Bajpayee, who is married to “Kareeb” star Shabana Raza and shares a daughter with her, said most of the posts were from “bots and headless, faceless people”.
“I am a person who is very easy (going) in life, I like to be happy and have fun all the time. But at the same time, when there is an urgency to save my near and dear ones, I’m very confrontational… But who could I confront because there are nameless people out there,” the actor said.
Bajpayee said the team had considered five to six titles before settling on the final name as it reflected the film and its central character, not realising that it would cause such an uproar.
“All the assault came from no knowledge about the film. They picked up a title and went hammer and tongs (about it). There was a threat to my life, to my family… All sorts of things were happening but I was moving freely. Whenever I was in a small place, a small area, I was told by the administration, ‘Not to go out’. But I was still moving out. I’m fearless. But when it comes to family, you feel concerned.”
Directed by Ritesh Shah and produced by Neeraj Pandey’s Friday Storytellers, “Gajab Raat” follows Ajay Nirvet, a cop whose act of compassion towards an injured woman draws him into a high-level conspiracy and a deadly game that unfolds over a single night.
Bajpayee is not new to cop roles, having played police officers of different shades in films like “Shool”, “Dial 100” and “Inspector Zende”.
The 57-year-old actor said his real-life interactions with the men in uniform has helped him understand them better.
“I love to hear them, I love to sit with them, hear their stories, all the cases, etc. So, all the police stations which are close to my house, I keep going there just to have tea with them, to know how things function, the nature of the crimes that happen. I do it for my knowledge.”
Bajpayee believes Hindi cinema often portrays police officers either as “superhumans” or as someone with negative traits and fails to capture the complexities of the profession.
“The moment you start treating them as characters with human flesh and blood, you are bound to understand their life. It is a very challenging and demanding profession. Also, the police force is far less in numbers to the population which is 1.4 billion. So, definitely the workload is too much,” he said.
Bajpayee’s co-star from “Gajab Raat”, Divya Dutta said they have previously worked in “LOC: Kargil”, “Veer Zaara”, “Special 26”, and “Traffic” but got to have scenes together finally in “Last Man in Tower” and “Gajab Raat”.
“There is brilliance here, which you unfurl every time you work with him in a different role. I think we are fortunate,” Dutta said, adding, “Satya”, “Aligarh” and “Last Man in Tower” are some of her favourite Bajpayee movies.
“Gajab Raat” also stars Saqib Saleem, Shraddha Das, Akshay Oberoi, Kiku Sharda and Nushrratt Bharuccha in pivotal roles. PTI KKP BK
BK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.