As Asaram Bapu sends legal notice to Bandaa, Manoj Bajpayee says no one finds him worthy enough to ban or boycott: ‘Kuch mileage toh milega nahi’

In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com, Manoj Bajpayee talks about his latest film Bandaa, Asaram Bapu slapping it with a legal notice and how he doesn't fear 'boycott trends'.

Manoj Bajpayee's latest film Bandaa will stream on ZEE5.

Manoj Bajpayee's latest film Bandaa is streaming on ZEE5. (Photo: Manoj/Instagram)

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Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai dropped on Monday and it has created quite a buzz. Said to be ‘inspired’ by true events, it features the star as a passionate lawyer, fighting against a godman who is accused of raping a minor. Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is currently serving a life sentence, after being convicted of a similar crime, has now slapped the makers with a legal notice.

Asaram, through his charitable trust, has sent a legal notice on the makers and has asked the courts to issue “prohibitory orders against the promotion and release of the film.” They have termed the film “highly objectionable” and “defamatory” towards their client and has the potential to “tarnish his reputation and hit sentiments of his devotees.”

Bajpayee, who plays a lawyer PC Solanki in the film, recently spoke about how he doesn’t consider the film ‘controversial’ but ‘socially relevant’. He also shared that it did not take any ‘courage’ from his or the makers’ side to make the film as this could act as a ‘learning’ for many parents.

“It’s not about courage, it’s about a story that needs to be told. I knew there is a cause. For me, it was not a controversial issue but a security issue. This girl went through hell and yet stood strong. She showed courage and fought for herself, even when there were so many big lawyers lined up against her. Be it Solanki, or even all of us, we took strength from this woman, she is the real hero,” Manoj Bajpayee said in an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com.

Watch | Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai trailer: It is Manoj Bajpayee vs abusive god-man in this courtroom drama

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He added that while in Delhi, he worked with street children and witnessed first-hand the kind of abuse they go through. Sharing that the cause has always stayed with him, he immediately related to Bandaa and assured a good film was made by the team. He added, “When I got to know about it, I was like let’s get a good script and only then we go on floors. We wanted the message to spread across and not get lost owing to a bad film. We didn’t want her ordeal, her journey to go wasted.”

Given the sensitivity of the subject and also how it deals with religious beliefs, we wondered if, at any moment, he faced any kind of inner conflicts. The National Award-winning actor said that he doesn’t understand why people will try to colour this story in religion. “We are talking about an act that completely crushed parents’ hope, the girl’s hope of her own future. Anyone with a young child will not think about religion and faith, but what this perpetrator did to them. I think such predators are everywhere and in most cases, they are known to the family, you trust them. Thus this film could be a wake-up call to people to not trust anyone when it comes to their child. Even, I as a father, after a certain age, am asked to knock on the door of my daughter’s room. As parents, we brought our kids into this world, thus it’s our responsibility to protect them, to keep them safe.”

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However, given how the ‘ban’ and ‘boycott’ of films have become a trend, we wondered if he fears any kind of backlash, even on social media. With a loud laugh, Manoj Bajpayee replied, “You know, what is good about me? I don’t think people find me worthy enough to ban or boycott. Kuch mileage to milega nahi, ulta mera faida hojayega (They will not get any importance. Instead, I will get publicity). But I must add that people really love me. Over the last three decades, I have been loved and have managed to create credibility. It took so many years but I know I have their support. I am still trying very hard with each film to prove myself and get more love and trust. At the end of the day, I know they are all waiting for Bandaa. They know I will not do anything to sensationalise, or create a bad name for anyone or any faith.”

Also Read | Manoj Bajpayee says he had ‘no money, no food’ when he moved to Mumbai, recalls dark phase of 7 years post Satya: ‘They would turn their cameras away from me’

On a final note, the actor shared how he enjoys playing real characters, especially the ones that people do not really know about. Sharing that it always become tough to essay public figures, he added, “If I was to do a Nehru or Gandhi’s role, it would have been a task. The world knows about them so the first challenge would have been to get them right physically. However, with Solanki or even in Aligarh, I get the freedom to add my own interpretation because unko koi jaanta hi nahi hai. However, what I have also realised is that when I actually do it, there’s not much of a difference. It’s a miracle that I manage to end up being very close to them on screen.”