Divya Dutta lauds Gajab Raat co-star Manoj Bajpayee for treating newcomers as equals, says working with him leaves one spoiled | HT Exclusive

Despite starring in four films together, Divya Dutta and Manoj Bajpayee did not share screen space until this year.

Divya Dutta and Manoj Bajpayee worked together in four films — LOC: Kargil (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Special 26 (2013) and Traffic (2016) — but they never shared screen space in any of these projects. The duo finally got a chance to star together in not one, but two projects this year — The Last Man and Netflix's recent crime drama Gajab Raat.

Divya Dutta and Manoj Bajpayee are seen at loggerheads in Gajab Raat.

In Neeraj Pandey's directorial, Divya plays a shrewd politician. In an exclusive interaction with Hindustan Times, the actor spoke about how sharing screen space with Manoj was on her bucket list. She also talked about why Manoj and writer/co-producer Neeraj Pandey were the reasons she said yes to the project.

You have finally shared screen space with Manoj Bajpayee twice this year. How was it shooting with him for Gajab Raat?

He was on my bucket list because he is one of the most amazing actors we have. It was really surprising that we did four films together and in none of them did we share screen space — except, I think, Special 26, where he just ran past me for a split second. So, we had been promising each other that we must work together, and finally it happened twice this year.

Gajab Raat has been really amazing because our roles were completely different. Manoj is effortless and very simple; his brilliance comes from his simplicity and how effortlessly he does everything. I've also been observing how he approaches everyone on set — he makes it so easy for people around him. Even with newcomers, he treats them as equals, which is so lovely. Plus, he has an amazing knack for cooking food for his colleagues, and he does it with so much love. It is such an amazing combination that one gets spoiled and wants to work with Manoj again.

Did he cook anything on the sets of this film?

In Gajab Raat, I was barely on set with any of them for long, but he sweetly compensated for it. He took all of us out for dinner one day, and we had a blast. But nothing was cooked by him on set.

You play a bold, corrupt politician in the film. What about this character and the role made you say yes to the project?

What made me say yes was Neeraj Pandey, Manoj Bajpayee, Netflix. When I work with Neeraj Pandey, I know he will use me beautifully in the film. He is the only person in the entire industry with whom I do this: when he calls me for a film or a show, I just hand over my dates and go into his project like an audience member. I love the twists, turns, excitement, and thrill that come with being on his set. I just let it unfold. Even to me, some scenes come as a surprise — like, "Oh, this happened like that!" I love that little thrill. It's just great to work with people who know what they want out of you and how they are going to present you. When you are working with the best in the business — be it the director, the co-actor, or the platform — it just feels great.

The film initially had a different title (Ghooskhor Pandat). How do you view this title change or censorship, especially when the project is not political in nature?

The thing is, this film was actually called something else even before the title you are talking about. Everyone thought people wouldn't understand the original title. Production teams always have a list of shortlisted titles — if not this, then that. No one really thought so much about it, but okay, if someone felt offended, that's fine. They didn't change anything in the film, just the title. I think Gajab Raat suits the film beautifully and has been loved by people so much. Anyone who raised an issue with the previous title has made up for it by loving this one.

Radhika Apte recently said that producers are hesitant to give theatrical releases to female-led films unless they feature top A-list actors. What is your take on this?

Yes, we are a male-dominated industry — there is no two ways about it. However, efforts are underway to produce story-driven films. When you see a film like Laapataa Ladies, there is a good marriage between strong storytelling, a talented filmmaker, a solid production house, and proper distribution.

If a story is good and marketed well, people do come to watch it. Radhika is right that the numbers are currently small, but the effort is ongoing. Look at Hanuman Ansh — people watched it three or four times in theatres. There is no fixed formula anymore. We have to keep pushing great storytelling, and we need producers to step forward with proper budgets to support these films.

Gajab Raat, directed by Ritesh Shah, is streaming on Netflix.