THE UNCOMMON COMMON MAN

MANOJ BAJPAYEE TELLS JITESH PILLAAI THAT DESPITE ALL HIS ACHIEVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE, HE STILL REMAINS A SIMPLE PERSON AT HEART

-  JITESH PILLAAI

They say your eyes are the windows to your soul. There’s so much pain, so much wisdom to be found in Manoj Bajpayee’s eyes that you feel his soul would be all scarred and bruised, marred by experiences. But when his eyes crinkle up with laughter, you begin to see the light within as well. Man is made of both light and darkness, after all, and an actor gets to mix and match that with every character he plays and live another life in the process. Going by his repertoire, Manoj has lived many lives in his chequered career. There are so many people hidden in him that it’s difficult to fathom what the real, the original looks like. Tell him that and he laughs and assures you that he’s still the wide eyed actor you saw on a film set all those years ago – interested in everything going around him and wanting nothing more in life than to give the perfect shot every time. Fame and fortune hasn’t diluted that enthusiasm. He’s still foolish, still hungry for more…

It’s been almost 25 years since Satya released. What kind of advice would you give your character, Bhiku Mhatre and how differently would you play it today?