Manoj Bajpayee Calls Indian Film Industry ‘Unpredictable, Cut-throat’

Manoj Bajpayee’s latest project Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout premiered on Zee 5 on April 16. Ahead of the release, the actor, as part of a promotional interview, opened up about the increased competition in the film industry. Bajpayee cited that the size of the industry is small and so everyone seems to be ‘eyeing that one role’. The actor’s comments are now doing rounds on social media. 

Our industry is very tough because it is a small industry: Manoj Bajpayee on Bollywood 

In a recent interview with ANI, Manoj reflected on his journey in the Indian film industry, which he described as "cut-throat" and "unpredictable". He expressed, “I feel it's a very unpredictable and cut-throat industry...No journey is fought alone...it is fought with the help of a lot of people. At the end of the day, destiny plays a very big part.” 

Manoj also talked about how the industry has changed over the years, highlighting the representation of women in the film business. "It feels like I just travelled yesterday...our industry is very tough because it is a small industry. Everyone knows everyone...everyone is vying for that one role...it has gone through so many changes.” He added that the role of women in filmmaking has also changed drastically. He said, “Now it's digital...sets have been changed...there's such a great presence of women on sets now. Earlier, there used to be hairdressers or heroines only...Now people get bound scripts; when I started, there was only narration and had to go by the words of the directors.” 

Manoj Bajpayee on what makes franchise shows work 

Manoj Bajpayee is currently being lauded for his power-packed performance as ACP Avinash in Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout, which is the sequel to Silence... Can You Hear It? (I could not), the 2021 crime thriller. On how to make a franchise successful, Manoj said, "Whenever you are doing a franchise, it's really important for actors to go back and watch it all over again, revisit it....then you will get to know what are the things that you have to retain and what are the things that you should take out and then add more new things. A little bit of work is always required...By doing this, you are helping the director."

Streaming on ZEE 5, the film also stars Prachi Desai, Sahil Vaid, and Parul Gulati. Silence 2 is directed by Aban Bharucha Deohans.