Manoj Bajpayee says people are brutal towards films on social media: 'Without watching, they write negative' | Exclusive

Manoj Bajpayee’s new film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi hai has opened to great reviews from critics and praise from fans. The courtroom drama, which opted for a direct OTT release, is based on advocate PC Solanki’s successful argument in the rape case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. The film’s positive response on social media has sparked a debate if it should have released in theatres instead. In an exclusive chat with DNA, the veteran actor spoke about the film’s release nd Bollywood’s obsession with box office numbers.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is not the typical Bollywood film. As a slow-burn courtroom drama sans any songs, it does not have the usual masala that Hindi films are expected to have. Talking about the diversity in content, Bajpayee says, “When we try to find a formula, we tend to go wrong. That is where mediocrity sets in. We think of forumlae because of the focus on ‘how many crores has it earned’. It has go into the producer’s pocket. Why are you so concerned? You should only be thinking about whether you liked the film or not. If you liked it, write it on social media. When a lot of people will say the film is good, it will be considered successful. Now, if I make a very bad film and it earns my producer Rs 200 crore, I won’t call it successful for me.”

Since the pandemic, a perception has existed in the minds of filmmakers and distributors that only large event films can work in theatres, while small films are better suited for streaming platforms. Manoj Bajpayee does not fully agree. “The biggest of films are crashing and the small films are not able to generate that interest that people come and watch,” he says, adding, “I have been part of two films recently – Gulmohar and Bandaa. For both, the audience’s reaction was great and people said it should have released in theatres. If you go by that, both films are successful. But we are not bringing it to the theatres because God forbid, if it does not get a good opening, people will say it has flopped. They reduce it to a ‘pita hua’ (washed out) film. They don’t talk about the quality of the work.”

But has this compartmentalisation of films by their platforms hurt cinema as a whole? For instance, several of Manoj Bajpayee’s successful films were sleeper hits that nobody gave two chances. Films like Satya had miserable openings but grew by word of mouth. When asked if a film like that would even release in theatres today, Bajpayee says, “It would have got a theatrical release but now that era of word of mouth does not exist. We were not this brutal earlier. Now, with social media, people start writing ‘this has no hero’, ‘who is this with a beard’. Without watching, they will write negative.”

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, directed by Apoorv Singh Karki, also stars Adrija, Surya Mohan Kulshrestha, Vipin Sharma, Jai Hind Kumar, and Durga Sharma. The film released on Zee5 on Tuesday, May 23 to critical acclaim.