Mumbai, Oct 22 (IANS) Actor Manoj Bajpayee has reacted to the criticism of the police following the current firing attack involving Tiger Shroff, and also during CJP protests in Mumbai and Delhi.

Following the Tiger Shroff incident, many Bollywood celebrities and fans blamed the police, alleging a security and safety lapse on their part.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Manoj Bajpayee who has essayed the role of a police officer and lived the life onscreen in many of his projects, said the actions of a few should not tarnish the reputation of an entire profession.

Manoj, who is all set to be seen alongside Divya Dutta in the upcoming film ‘Gajab Raat’, was asked about the respect and standing of police officers in India amid recent security concerns, including the reported incident involving Tiger Shroff and the CJP protests in Mumbai and Delhi.

Responding to the question, Manoj pointed out that every profession has people who perform their duties sincerely, while some misuse their position or authority. Drawing a parallel with the film industry, he said that the actions of a few individuals can often lead to an entire profession being criticised.

“There are all kinds of people in every profession. For me, it is important to see whom I am talking to and whose work I am seeing. Whose work is being praised, or whose work is being criticised. We have to see how much praise or criticism is justified. I know it is a very demanding duty, and many police officers are very good friends of mine. Very good friends. But a lot of times, when we read the news, we see some of them who misuse their power. In the same way, in our industry, a lot of actors are very good, but because of someone, all of us are defamed,” Manoj said.

The actor further highlighted how public perception can swing between excessive admiration and large criticism, depending on the actions of individuals.

“It's always about how you suddenly make someone a God in our profession, and then you also abuse them later because someone else has done something wrong, and end up generalising. So we have to look at every individual separately. And that's how I do it,” he added.

For the uninitiated, following the firing incident involving Tiger Shroff, many Bollywood celebrities raised concerns about public safety and security arrangements, with some directly questioning the Mumbai Police over the alleged security lapse.

Separately, during the CJP-related protests in Mumbai and Delhi in July and in October, reports emerged of confrontations between police personnel and protesters.

Some officers alleged that they were subjected to physical violence, verbal abuse and women officers being inappropriately touched by protestors.

Talking about Manoj Bajpayee, the actor is all set to star in Netflix’s upcoming crime thriller Gajab Raat, starring Divya Dutta.

It also features Akshay Oberoi, Saqib Saleem, Shraddha Das and Kiku Sharda in key roles. Nushrratt Bharuccha will also be seen in the film in a cameo appearance.

Directed by Ritesh Shah and produced by Neeraj Pandey, the film is all set to premiere on October 23, 2026.

--IANS

rd/