Manoj Bajpayee on similarities between Heath Ledger’s Joker, his Aks role: 'We were 1st to come up with the character'

Manoj Bajpayee was asked about Heath Ledger's Joker in an interview, and how it was similar to his role as a killer named Raghavan in Aks.

In a new interview, Manoj Bajpayee was asked about the 'eerie similarities' between his introductory shot in the 2001 film Aks, and the interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker (Heath Ledger) in The Dark Knight, a film that was released in 2008. The actor said that he and his friends always discuss how they 'were the first ones to come up with a character similar to the Joker'. Also read: Manoj Bajpayee reacts to reports about his net worth being ₹170 crore

Manoj Bajpayee in a still from Aks (left), Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

Manoj's Aks scene with Amitabh Bachchan

Manoj was recently asked about his film Aks, which also featured Amitabh Bachchan. Manoj played a killer, Raghavan, in the film. In a new interview, the actor discussed his introductory shot, a scene, where he is being interrogated by Amitabh Bachchan’s righteous cop. In the scene, Manoj speaks about society and rules, and how without it, everybody would become evil.

In an interview with Cinema Express, Manoj was told his Aks scene was 'eerily similar' to the interrogation scene in The Dark Knight. In response, the actor said, "I am so happy you mentioned this. My friends and I always discuss how we were the first ones to come up with a character similar to The Joker. If we had said this, people might have called us pompous."

On his Aks role

Further speaking about his role in Aks, Manoj said in the same interview, "It took me six to seven months to craft the character of Raghavan. I had the task of embodying absolute evil. The dialogues given to me were in English, so I improvised with the Hindi dialogues. I approached the character with flamboyance. I remember I was in Atlanta in the US when I was preparing for the character. I was sitting in a bar, and I saw these alcohol bottles that seemed so alluring from the outside, though they contained something that is toxic. I got it then. Evil needed to be attractive."

Manoj's recent projects

The actor was last seen in the recently-released courtroom-drama Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. Before that Manoj was seen in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. Prior to which, the actor appeared alongside veteran actor Sharmila Tagore in Gulmohar, which came out in March this year. Manoj's upcoming projects include films such as Soup, Dispatch and Joram.