Manoj Bajpayee: Growing up, I knew them, lived around them

Joram premièred at the Busan International Film Festival

Joram is so much more than a thriller. Devashish Makhija's directorial venture tells the heart-wrenching story of a father who goes to great lengths to safeguard his daughter. Through them, the movie looks at the plight of the Adivasi community in Jharkhand. It is these layers that resonated with leading man Manoj Bajpayee. "The father-daughter equation [drew me]. The father's voice is crushed completely; both of them are silent and yet, they connect," says the actor, when we get on a call with him.

The movie premièred at the Busan International Film Festival and won praise at several international film festivals. With Bajpayee at the centre of the narrative, one can be assured of a moving performance. But he tells us something unexpected. Contrary to his practice of diving deep into his character before facing the camera, he admits this film required little prep as he had grown up around the people reflected on screen. "I come from a village [Belwa, Bihar] where we co-existed with people who can be branded Naxalites. These are people who fall into the SC/ST category. Growing up, I knew them, observed them and lived around them. The inequality is powerfully felt. It always bothered me. Their anger can be understood, and an ultimate solution is yet to be found," he laments.

It is heard that Joram could be shadow-banned in Jharkhand because of its depiction of Adivasi oppression. Bajpayee harbours no apprehension as he says, "The film was passed by the CBFC [Central Board of Film Certification] with ‘U/A' certification, without a single cut. The committee that watched our film had three people from Jharkhand, who found the portrayal authentic. This is not a political film. It discusses the lives and circumstances of people coming from an area we don't usually discuss."

The thriller is his third release this year after the delightful Gulmohar and the hard-hitting Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. How does he remain driven to tell such unique stories? "I always go back to the reason I became an actor. There was never a dream to be a big star or do commercial films. I have done those films, so that I could do movies like Joram. The films I couldn't find money for, I have put my own money. When you choose unconventional stories, it'll be difficult. This is a movie where we talk not about its earnings, but about its layers."