Manoj Bajpai On Going Digital  During The Lockdown

Manoj Bajpai’s superlative  performance  in  the  OTT series The Family Man and now the feature film Bhonsle which  was  premiered  on the digital domain recently,  has made him a huge draw  on  the  OTT  platform.

Says Manoj, “.Because of  the lockdown  the OTT has hit a peak. Audiences are  watching  all sorts  of content, even the ones they don’t find interesting. They see everything and post  ruthlessly honest views   on the social media.The  OTT has  the advantage  of  the lockdown . It has  become  a strong  alternative  for entertainment  in  India.”

Manoj  says he had  foreseen the popularity of this medium.  “The  OTT is  a very new  medium.I remember doing a couple  of short films  for  YouTube. That’s when I realized  that this is  the future. Netflix started  booming. The first thing I saw in  the US was Narcos. I  was blown away.I realized  India too would  not remain untouched  by the  digital boom. And that’s  exactly  what  has happened.”

   The  lockdown has given Manoj a  chance to re-assess his life  and career.  “I was  shooting  in Uttarakhand when  the  lockdown was announced. While I  was there there was no  masking or sanitization only hiking and  trekking in the  fresh air , spending time with  birds, trees, animals and fruits. Then suddenly  we were  back  in  the  city and  we saw a  different world.”

    The actor par excellence is   fed  up of  the  lockup. “After  four months,it seems  the lockdown will never end.  I want this lockdown to end  now. The  country and the world   have come to a standstill. I  can only  hope this ends immediately.”

  What are  Manoj’s post-lockdown plans?  “I don’t know.As soon  as this gets over,  I will get on with my job. I don’t know what I’ll shoot. Before leaving  Uttarakhand I decided   not to plan anything. But now  I’ve a plan.I’ll  reveal it after the lockdown. But first I will have to finish shooting the  incomplete film from Uttarakhand. There’re five days of shooting left.”