Manoj Bajpayee talks about independent cinema and box office, ahead of the release of his new film, Jugnuma.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee is not a fan of film producers and studios throwing around box office numbers to promote their titles. The actor, who balances commercial and independent cinema, says this obsession with box office is a monster that will ‘eat up’ its own creators.
The actor is gearing up for the release of Jugnuma, directed by Raam Reddy. The film has earned acclaim worldwide as The Fable and is finally getting a release in Indian theatres this month. Ahead of the release, the National Award winner sits down with Hindustan Times to talk about the state of independent films in the country and the newfound obsession with the box office.
On the box office monster
Over the last few years, box office numbers have turned into promotional tools to leverage buzz for films. Talking about the phenomenon, Manoj says, “It’s a monster that is created by the producers themselves, the commercial producers, for their own game. Very soon, this monster is going to eat you up. You have created Bhasmasura. Just wait for the day you are going to put your hand on your own head, and you will be ruined. This has been created by our own successful people, and one day it will eat them up.”
OTT’s change of stance
Equating box office success with quality has particularly hurt smaller, independent films, as their low collections are now considered a sign of bad quality. Manoj argues, “The small, independent films always experience struggle. Then came a very brief time when OTT had just entered the country, and they were welcoming. But very soon, they changed their stance, and all of them started focusing on mainstream subjects and faces. One feels sad, because I am of the opinion that if you finish independent movement, your cinema will become just a product and nothing more. If the art is taken out, it has no value.”
He gives the example of Amitabh Bachchan, a rare superstar who also did smaller films during the peak of his stardom. “Mr Bachchan has also done a few fabulous (small) films like Abhimaan and Mili. He has done many more. Only Don, after a point, will be boring. He is Mr Bachchan also because of the kind of films he has done earlier in his career,” says the actor.
