‘We need to think creatively as artistes to dole out compelling stories’

CHENNAI: Actor Manoj Bajpayee has come a long way since his debut in 1994 with Droh Kaal. Over a career spanning three decades, the actor has worked across various lines of cinema, diverse genres, and a myriad of characters.

With his 100th film Bhaiyya Ji on the horizon, the actor shared the secret behind keeping his passion alive for the craft of acting.

When asked about this decision, Manoj says, “I never counted the number of projects I’ve done. It so happened that Apoorv Singh Karki, the director of the film, discovered while surfing the Internet that Bhaiyya Ji will be my 100th film.” “Then my co-producers and I decided to turn it into an occasion marking my 100th film in cinema,” he added.

Bhaiyya Ji marks the actor’s second film with Apoorv after Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai.

Manoj feels that OTT has conditioned the minds of the audience to not venture out of their homes for entertainment, which affects the footfalls in cinema.

The actor said, “OTT has been quite a disruptor. When the world was completely shut down, OTT was the only mode of entertainment. For a good 1-2 years, OTT ruled entertainment, and when theatres gradually opened up, people lost the habit of going to the cinemas because of the conditioning over these one or two years. But, slowly, things are getting better, and we are getting to a place where the cinemas are finally reaching pre-Covid levels in terms of footfall.”

“We still aren’t there completely. The efforts have to be focused, and we need to think strategically and creatively as artistes to dole out compelling stories,” he added.

Bhaiyya Ji, produced by Bhanushali Studios Limited, SSO Productions, and Aurega Studios, is set to release on May 24.