That Manoj Bajpayee is a good actor is a known fact. But the man has often been a victim of his own towering onscreen characters. Time and again, the actor has played roles that scream of male machismo. From 'Satya' to 'Rajneeti' to 'Gangs of Wasseypur' all celebrate machismo. But his latest 'Aligarh', directed by Hansal Mehta, is a far cry from his past work.
“After 22 years, I don’t feel scared of doing any role," said Manoj Bajpayee when 'Aligarh', back in October 2015 opened the JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. And we are glad that he did the film because 'Aligarh' shows a very different side of Bajpayee- that the audience has never seen before.
In the film, Bajpayee plays an Aligarh Muslim University professor, who is fired from his post after he is filmed having consensual sex with a rickshaw puller at his residence. The story was brought to national focus by a Delhi journalist called Deepu Sebastian and Siras had then taken legal help to get back his job and flat.
Playing a professor, who teaches Marathi in Aligarh, Bajpayee got the nuances of a soft, intellectual poet professor well- who is wronged by the University and his colleagues. The film delivers a grim portrayal of an intolerant and intrusive society that is quick to judge anyone who is not conventional.
Bajpayee is mostly known for his strong portrayals on screen. However, ‘Aligarh’ gives a glimpse of a softer person- the one, who every night, sings along with Lata Mangeshkar’s recorded songs with a glass of whiskey in his hand, the one who refuses to accept that maybe his lover/friend had a hand in plotting against him with his colleagues and the one who finds it uncomfortable to call himself gay.
It is tough to play a soft man on screen, I suppose. Because it can go either way- one can overdo the character by making it effeminate or make him look like a loser. Bajpayee manages to walk on the treacherous thin line and maintain balance throughout the film. The way he sits, the way he moves his hand while humming his favourite Lata song or when he doses off in the middle of court proceedings is so real that you don’t feel you are watching an actor playing a part- he becomes that character.
Giving him able support is Rajkummar Rao, as journalist Deepu Sebastian, a young reporter who is fidgety to break a story and make a mark in the industry. Rao, an award winning, critically acclaimed actor himself, plays the young, edgy reporter with absolute ease but not once does he overpower Bajpayee’s character.
A special word for the screenplay of the film which keeps even the minute details in mind and therefore makes the film look very realistic. There are a few glitches here and there- like Bajpayee’s accent is a bit inconsistent, there is small romantic track of Rao and his colleague that is unnecessary for the narrative- but the actor’s performance and detailed screenplay and light hearted moments throughout the film makes ‘Aligarh’ the film to watch out for.
More than two decades ago, Bajpayee made heads turn with his portrayal of Bhiku Mhatre in ‘Satya’. His performance in ‘Aligarh’ will make people celebrate the actor one more time.
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