Manoj Bajpayee may have made a special place for himself in Hindi cinema, but he’s now making time for his first love - theatre - from where it all began, he tells Neha Bhatt
What brings you back to Delhi and the National School of Drama?
I am here for theatre. I feel humbled when I come to Delhi. Whenever I see Mandi House, it calms me down. Theatre is the breeding ground for culture. It needs much more focus than film or television. We need new, young talent in theatre. Therefore, it is wonderful that the Actor Factor Theatre Company, in association with the NSD, is conducting a 15-day advanced acting skills training workshop. We need to encourage children to take up theatre courses straight out of college.
But don’t you think actors use theatre as just a stepping stone to films?
One has to encourage actors to stick around in theatre for a few more years before moving on. I remember there was a time I used to work for 18 hours a day in Delhi. But when I grew older, I started worrying about bread and butter and then I moved on to films. But theatre is still a passion and that’s the reason for me to come back.
Is a play in the wings?
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Yes, I would like to do a play soon. I’m working on it with Barry John, who’s been my teacher. It will be a Hindi play.
Where do you think theatre is today and what are we lacking?
In a globalised society where we tend to look at surface glitter, theatre is a “cause”. On a micro level, Mumbai still has a good audience. Marathi theatre, which used to be experimental in the time of Vijay Tendulkar, has become very commercial of late. In Delhi, though, one can compare the quality of theatre to Broadway. Gujarati theatre has not gone out of fashion either, they have mass-oriented subjects which still keeps the audience together.
How can one help pump in more money in the field?
It cannot happen overnight. Theatre needs time. Workshops such as this one and others will bring in more actors. After two-three years there will not be a deficit of theatre persons. Then, even if some people venture out to films, there will be enough people in theatre to keep it going. The theatre that Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher are doing will stir interest. But one cannot depend on glamour to make theatre more exciting. We need to create strength among ourselves.
