HT City Vibe of 25: Manoj Bajpayee recalls Shool and Kaun completing 25 years
Actor Manoj Bajpayee is joining the HT City silver jubilee celebration, as it coincides with the 25 year anniversary for two of his films, Shool and Kaun.
Manoj Bajpayee is joining the HT City silver jubilee celebration, and is extra excited as it coincides with the 25 year anniversary milestone for two of his films -- Shool and Kaun. He says the journey of the films reassured him that he is on the right path in his career.
“Wow, it has been 25 years…. It doesn’t look like that at all,” he says with amusement.
Looking back at the legacy of his films, Bajpayee shares, “The films, especially Shool, play an important part in my career. The film gave an idea to the industry that I can lead a film. Before that they saw me in supporting roles through projects such as Satya and Kaun, which was a small film. It was Shool which showed them that Manoj is lead actor material. Post that, they stopped offering me anything which was lesser than that. Now, Sholl is considered a cult film. The films gave me a new respect”.
Written and produced by Ram Gopal Varma, Shool navigates the politician-criminal nexus and the criminalisation of politics in Bihar and its effect on the life of an honest police officer. Meanwhile, Ram Gopal Varma’s Kaun? was a suspense thriller.
The films were different in genre, and the actor feels it gave him a perfect chance to show his versatility. “The audiences saw me in different things. These films and the response that they got reassured me that I’m going in the right direction”.
Picking Shool once again, Bajpayee shares, “Shool was always considered a cult film, especially in the police department. On this occasion, I want to request everyone to go ahead and watch this film once again. Because it is a great cinematic piece”.
Here, he goes on to recall a special personal connection with HT City, saying the paper has been connected with his journey in the film industry.
“Oh, I have such a special connection with HT City. When Shool was about to be released, I was invited to some launch in Delhi, and I remember HT City also coming up to me, where we all were all invited. I flew from Mumbai to Delhi. I met the late Rishi Kapoor who said good things about the film…. So, HT City is connected with my memory of Shool. I wish everyone HT City all the best for the future,” he ends.