“I Loved Scam 1992”, Manoj Bajpai

 Manoj Bajpai watched a  lot  of  serials  and films on the  OTT  platform last year during the lockdown. Now he has a list of  directors  he wants to work with.

Says  Manoj, “I concentrated  on Indian content.  I dug up quite  a  lot of South Indian  films, Malayalam, Tamil  and some Telugu  . I realized there is  a whole big world out there in the  Souththat I need to explore. Such amazing  talent,  such amazing directors that I want  to work with , be it Vetrimaaran, Kumar Raja …so many great films  I’ve seen Mohanlal, Mammootty, FahadFazil…I am inspired  by  their talent.”

   He also  enjoyed a number  of  serials in Hindi. “I really enjoyed Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992. Hansal and his son Jai have  given us a solid  entertainer with a fabulous storyline.It made me realize that writers  rule on OTT.  Without fantastic  writing , you can’t  move an inch on OTT. Scam proved  it.”

  There are  some other serials that Manoj has enjoyed  recently.  “I  loved Pataal Lok and JaideepAhlawat’s work in it. I loved Sudhir Mishra’s  Serious Men . Nawazuddin’s  work in  it was stupendous.I really  liked Raat Akeli Hai, the entire film and the ensemble cast.”

 Personally Manoj found renewed  fame on the OTT platform. “The  Family Man happened  a few  months before the lockdown. But its impact  was  felt all through the year. Some really good things happened to me on digital. My  war film 1971  which didn’t get an  audience on release was a massive hit on YouTube. My music video Mumbai mein  kaa baa was a sensation.Then came Bhonsle on  SonyLiv .It  got not  only  huge acclaim  but also got good numbers that  would not have  been  possible in  the  movie theatres.Also  Mrs Serial Killer. No matter what people  had to say about it I’m still very proud of it, and of my association with  Shirish  Kunder.”