INTERVIEW |‘I thrive on genre hopping’: Actor Manoj Bajpayee

You had once said that mainstream Bollywood didn’t know what to do with you. Today, you are perhaps the busiest stars across platforms, with a release every three months. Your comments.

Genre hopping is something I thrive on, because I just cannot do the same thing over and over again. I love doing independent cinema as well. There will always be a Joram to balance a Gulmohar. For a Killer Soup, I will also give a hard-hitting Banda.

I want the audience to not just be entertained by a story, but also experience great creativity, irrespective of genre.

The Family Man was the show, and Srikant Tiwari was the character, which turned the tide for you. Were you surprised by its success and iconic status?

I had a hunch when I said yes to the series after Raj and DK’s narration of the first two episodes. I was clear about not doing action, murder, gore or sex, which was the template for OTT at the time. I was clear that my first foray into the space had to be different. Srikant Tiwari was like RK Laxman’s common man, and I felt that people would relate to him, and find a bit of themselves in him. Playing him is like therapy for me. When you do an action film, you are physically exhausted. In fact, each of my characters has taken a lot from me. Joram, for instance, left me mentally strained. But, I enjoy being Srikanth. He helps me recharge my batteries.