Acting an unforgiving profession, says Manoj Bajpayee

The actor said like any other profession, acting also requires constant honing of the craft. "I keep telling everyone that you should attend as many workshops as possible, do theatre, practice, read and watch. It is not something that you will learn in four or six months or a year, it is an ongoing process," Bajpayee told PTI.

Emphasizing on the importance of training, the National Award-winning actor said to survive in the industry one has to be "good" at what they are supposed to do. "….This is an unforgiving profession because there is so much at stake that nobody wants to give you a second chance. You have to be good at what you are supposed to be doing." The actor, who shot to fame with the release of "Satya" as Bhiku Mhatre in 1998, trained under Barry John's acting studio besides doing theatre in Delhi, before joining the industry with 1994 film "Bandit Queen". Bajpayee's impressive filmography includes cinema gems such as "Pinjar", "Shool", "Gangs of Wasseypur" , "Aligarh" and "Special 26".

After years of doing theatre and with a work experience of over two decades, Bajpayee said he has finally gained the awareness about the kind of approach he should have while portraying a character. "I read scripts as many times as possible, I practice. It takes a lot of time to put flesh and blood into a character. When the character is given to you, it is on paper and to make it alive you have to pour all your skill and experience into it. "Depending on the character and the genre, I decide the approach that should be taken," Bajpayee said in the interview taken on the sidelines of a panel discussion held here by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films. The 51-year-old actor made his digital debut with Amazon Prime Video's "The Family Man" in 2019 and said the emergence of OTT has led to good quality and a respect for talent.

"This is becoming a better and democratic industry. This is what one always wished for. We are going to a better place. I am one of those guys, who was always trying to swim against the stream and at times the going was tough but in the end, it is all coming together," he said while talking about the evolution of OTT platforms in India. The actor believes due to coronavirus-induced lockdown, the digital platform has also led to a change in taste and preference of the audience in terms of content viewing.

"Cinema is not there in corona times; we don't know what cinema is now. We will come to know when COVID-19 will be over and cinema will return to its natural form. "One thing is certain, the cinema will have a lot of responsibility as audiences will be coming out after having experienced OTT in its full form and their expectations will be high from any kind of entertainment they will be watching in theatre."