‘A blockbuster changes everything in B’wood’

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Through the day, he has hardly had a chance to bite a morsel. Flashlites, quick bytes and cameras have not left him alone for a second. In the city for the press conference of his latest film, Chittagong, Manoj Bajpayee looks unfazed, when we catch up with him.
Talking about his memories associated with Delhi, he begins, “I have spent some of the best days of my life in the city as a student.” About his upcoming, Chittagong, where he plays Surya Sen, Bajpayee says “I hardly knew much about the character. When I read the script, I knew I had to take up the role. I had just 10 days to prepare for the it,” he says. Although over the last few years, he has managed to be a part of many blockbusters, we ask him about the prior period of lull, when he was almost out of public memory. “Initially, I had a shoulder injury, for which I was advised to take a break. Following that, filmmakers started offering me unappealing roles, thinking I would take up anything. But I waited for good scripts,” smiles Bajpayee.
And it paid! With Rajneeti, Aarakshan, Gangs of Wasseypur and now, Chittagong, he has managed to strike the right chord with masses and classes. “I still remember how Prakashji was apprehensive about whether, I will accept the role in Rajneeti and how the film was a hit. A blockbuster changes everything in Bollywood,” he smiles.
According to him, Indian cinema is undergoing a positive change and many character-driven films are being generated for actors like him. About walking the ramp for designer Samant Chauhan, he says, “Samanth plans to encourage weavers and support the Bhagalpuri textiles. That’s all I had in mind.”