Mumbai, Nov 2 (IANS) Actor Manoj Bajpayee recently entered into an insightful conversation with Filmmaker and journalist Sanjay Sharma.
The two talked about why Bollywood stars choose to remain silent on issues affecting ordinary people. They discussed that while actors are often seen playing revolutionaries and champions of justice on screen, they avoid speaking on such topics in real life.
Bajpayee responded to these questions with a counter question, “Why do you even consider those who remain silent on people’s issues to be stars?”
Sanjay Sharma further talked about the difference in ideologies between two prominent figures of Indian cinema, Naseeruddin Shah and Piyush Mishra.
Given that both of them are extremely vocal regarding their opinion on various matters, Bajpayee was asked how he viewed the contrasting opinions and public statements of the two artists.
Bajpayee expressed his profound admiration for Naseeruddin Shah. He said that his respect for the veteran actor runs so deep that even if Shah were to slap him, he would accept it.
When asked if disagreeing with someone’s political or social opinions justifies dismissing their entire personality, artistic achievements and contribution to cinema?' Bajpayee emphasised the importance of maintaining respect despite disagreement.
The 'Satya' actor stressed that democracy must allow every individual, actors and non-actors, the freedom to express opinions and register dissent.
He added that an artist should not be condemned merely for speaking openly about personal convictions. Bajpayee shared that, according to him, a healthy society must make room for different perspectives, and disagreements over ideas should not automatically become personal hostility.
During the discussion, members of the audience were also given the opportunity to interact directly with Bajpayee.
'The Family Man' actor was asked questions regarding a wide variety of topics such as cinema, the functioning of Bollywood, politics, social conditions, the responsibilities of artists, and his personal experiences.
Professionally, Bajpayee will next be seen leading Ram Gopal Varma's upcoming horror comedy 'Police Station Mein Bhoot', co-starring Genelia Deshmukh.
--IANS
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