Don’t feel tempted enough to do commercial film: Manoj Bajpayee

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NEW DELHI

Known for his portrayal of realistic characters in hard-hitting films, National Award winning actor Manoj Bajpayee says he only does commercial films when it is a matter of maintaining a relationship. Otherwise, he is not tempted to do ‘masala’ entertainers.

Nevertheless, he doesn’t mind watching such movies.

Asked how he balances working in both commercial and parallel cinema, Manoj told IANS over phone from Mumbai: “Commercial films happened not by choice, but by accident. ‘Satya’ became hugely successful and many more films became like that though they were middle-of-the-road or independent in nature, but they became successful and that has given the market some kind of a reason to have me in those commercial films.

“But not all commercial films which are offered to me, I touch… I do commercial films only when it is a matter of relationship… Otherwise, I don’t feel tempted enough to do a commercial film.”

But would he like to star in an out-and-out entertainer?

“I don’t think so. I dont mind watching them. Featuring in them is something which doesn’t occur to me so frequently,” Manoj said.

The actor praised filmmakers such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkummar Hirani and Neeraj Pandey for their body of work.

“Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes his films in a grand way or Rajkumar Hirani… Theirs are the commercial films I feel I might be comfortable doing. Other than that, people I admire from that area are the people who are balancing it very well in their filmmaking or script-writing, and that is Neeraj Pandey.

“That, for me, is a definition of a mainstream cinema that I am very comfortable with being part of it.

IANS