The brilliant Manoj Bajpayee takes us inside the making of Aligarh in this fascinating interview with Subhash K Jha about the drama that released 10 years ago.
In Aligarh, you played the disgraced homosexual professor. Was there any hesitation?
Not for a second. I am an actor. I am supposed to play anything. Aligarh happened to me when I was actually looking for a script where I could just, you know, go beyond everything that I have done, go beyond everything that I have learned. And when it came to me, I clearly remember that Mukesh Chhabra called me and, told me about the storyline.
And you said yes immediately?
I don’t know; for some reason, I was just attracted to that storyline itself. And after that, Hansal Mehta called up, and then he came and spoke to me. I was on. Somewhere in the beginning itself, I saw Ramchandra Siras, the character.
Did you prepare to play the part of the tainted professor?
The preparation that I have done, the process that I have adopted, never in my life I went that way to approach a character. And to my luck, it all felt so right. I still remember the assistant director coming to me, to my house every day, helping me with the process. That process lasted for a month in total. And then we moved to Bareilly to shoot the film.
As a heterosexual man, were you troubled by the character’s sexuality?
No. I was personally, I would say that I was in complete bliss when I was playing Ramchandra Siris. I somehow never felt that you know, Siras is somebody I’m playing somewhere. I felt that, you know, Siris was guiding me while I was playing him. Each and every shot, each and every scene, each and every day, they were so, so fulfilling and so exhilarating for me.
Aligarh fetched you extraordinary acclaim?
Never in my dreams did I think I would be welcomed so much by each and every one, so much so that it has impacted the young minds and the court rulings on their act? The persons I must thank for this is, first is, Mukesh Chhabra for really recommending my name very, very aggressively to Hansal Mehta, who’s been my friend. And secondly, Hansal Mehta, for really eventually giving it to me and supporting me on the shoot. And Apoorva Asrani for writing this gem of a film. And Ishani Banerjee, who gave this story to Hansal Mehta. Satyaraj Nagpal, the cinematographer, the magic that he has created with light and shade on the screen, I still am still not over that magic.
Did Aligarh face hurdles in reaching the audience?
I remember how it was dismissed as a non-viable subject when it was announced. Even before it could reach the audience, the trailer was given an ‘A’ certificate. That meant it couldn’t be shown on television or satellite. It made us feel completely handicapped when we were promoting the film. We went through all kinds of obstacles making and promoting the film. Today, it is known as a cult classic and counted among my finest performances. And I would always look back at those memories of Aligarh as highly important to my career. Aligarh gave my career a new direction. Films like Aligarh, Gali Guliyan, and Bhonsle took my performing abilities to another level. They showed me where to go ahead from that juncture in my career. Aligarh will always remain a very special film. It was lauded all over the world. It was even mentioned in the Supreme Court. Most of all, Aligarh got me a lot of respect. The character in Aligarh, Ramchandra Siras, corrected me.
What do you mean?
It improved me as a human being. I was not Manoj Bajpayee when I was doing Aligarh. I was Ramachandra Siras. I felt his spirit guiding me. So yes, Aligarh will always be on top of my filmography, always. Purely because of the experience that I’ve had, the experience that I really cannot spell in words.
