Manoj Bajpayee doesn't mind 'repeating' professions in his film roles

Actor Manoj Bajpayee isn’t bothered about the profession of the character he plays in any film — never mind if he earlier played a different character with the same profession. The 47-year-old actor, who plays the role of Ranvir Singh, an intelligence officer, in the recent release Naam Shabana, isn’t averse to “repeating professions”.

He says, “I don’t mind playing two inspectors back to back. Why? Because I’m not playing a profession. I’m playing a character. The persons are different. One may be an honest cop, and the other one could be a dirty, bribe-taker cop. They are completely different characters. That’s why I don’t mind repeating professions.”

The Gangs of Wasseypur actor is only interested in “the character’s personality”, regardless of the profession or religion. The character “is what I think is important”, says Bajpayee. “How does it matter if the character is a Muslim or a Catholic?”

Bajpayee, a multiple-award-winning actor, believes that preparing for a role is the toughest job for an actor. He says, “I need to know what goes on inside [the characters’] mind and their body. For me, preparing for a role is tougher than acting in front of the camera. When I’m sure that I have prepared for my role, I can chill after that.”

The time for prep work depends on the depth and complexity of the character. Bajpayee says, “For instance, for Ranveer’s role, I took 15 days to prepare. But for a role like Sardar Khan in Gangs [of Wasseypur] or for the role in Aligarh (2016), it took almost a month.”