Manoj Bajpayee: No insecurity between me and Rajkummar

Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao are two of the most competent actors in the industry today but the “Special 26” star says there was no insecurity between the two during the shoot of “Aligarh”.

Manoj, who has been part of Hindi cinema for more than a decade now, said he and Rajkummar have immense respect for each other.

The “Satya” actor, who has worked with Rajkummar for the first time in “Aligarh”, said he admires the young star a lot.

“The chemistry between us has come out good in ‘Aligarh’ because of the mutual respect. There is no insecurity. We are improved people. We are not jealous of each other’s lines, presence. He respects me and I give that respect back. We are each other’s admirers and well-wishers,” said Manoj.

In “Aligarh”, the actor plays Aligarh Muslim University professor S R Siras, who was suspended due to his alleged sexual orientation.

Manoj said he jumped at the opportunity to play Siras when director Hansal Mehta approached him because he was looking to do something risky at that time.

“There was no apprehension in playing the role. Mentally, I was ready to do something risky in terms of people’s mindset. The way actors choose their scripts, there is a lot of insecurity in them as to what will happen but I have been part of industry for long so, I was feeling a little jaded with the same routine of working.

“I wanted to do something really path breaking, something which required guts and courage and professor Siras happened and I took it with both my arms without any doubt.”

The 46-year-old actor, who has been receiving rave reviews for his performance, said playing the role was difficult.

“He was a poet too and I wanted to understand the mind of a poet and a person, who is in love with Lata Mangeshkar’s songs, somebody who is so lonely and he is happy about it. I used to hear a lot of Marathi songs by Lataji and Asha Bhonsle ji to get understanding of Siras’ mind…”

“It was very clear in my mind that I will not compromise with Siras’ dignity. That’s how I look at homosexuals. They are very dignified people. So, creating any kind of stereotype would be complete injustice to any community.”

Inputs by PTI

Also Read: MANOJ BAJPAYEE: “I PROUDLY DEMAND MY SCRIPT IN HINDI”