Bhonsle: Manoj Bajpayee says box office question annoys him as he is here to create a story which is engaging

Manoj Bajpayee says winning Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Performance twice, first for Aligarh and now for Bhonsle, is special. However, the question about box office does annoy him as his job is to create engaging stories.

Both critics and fans agree that Manoj Bajpayee is one of the most versatile actors in the industry. The actor has just won the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Performance for Bhonsle. With this, he becomes the only Indian actor to achieve this honour twice. He won this award first time for Aligarh in 2016.

Manoj Bajpayee stars in Bhonsle as a retired cop.

Manoj connects with us on call from Australia, where he received the award. “I don’t think it can get bigger than this in this part of the world. It’s quite unbelievable. Three-time nominations — that in itself gave me a sense of achievement. The person who was nominated alongside me was actor Naved from Iran. He, too, was nominated for the third time. I was very excited and nervous that such a great actor and other performances were nominated alongside me,” says Manoj.

Manoj Bajpayee in Bhonsle.

The actor says he was not “hoping or expecting anything”, but he is thankful to God for Bhonsle. “It is such a huge thing because we have really struggled to make this film, purely on conviction and belief. And today, we have reached a point where we got APSA. It’s a big deal for me and the entire team.”

Bhonsle, like many small, non-masala films, has been screened at various film festivals before its release back home. “It has gone to all festivals, and done its round. It concluded so hugely here. We are planning to release it next year,” says the 50-year old Padma Shri, adding, “If you have an independent film which has the possibility or potential of going to festivals, and done its round. It concluded so hugely here. We are planning to release it next year,” says the 50-year old Padma Shri, adding, “If you have an independent film which has the possibility or potential of going to festivals, then you definitely send it across, it gathers a lot of momentum.”

Does this momentum ever translate into box office collections? “Not everything is about box office,” Manoj quips, “Those associated with this film don’t think about box office that much. This question annoys me, because our job is to create a story which is engaging, informing, and prompts people to ask questions. I am sure people who go to the theatre for Bhonsle will love it.”

And how much does the actor value these awards? “They do matter, if they are increasing your value or credibility, or adding value to the film. In Bhonsle’s and my case, it has done wonders. Check social media. So much buzz has been generated, and congratulatory messages are going around. It seems that people are aware of the film. They are happy and proud that an Indian film has won on such a big stage,” Manoj says.

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