Shooting break !

Dear Pals,

To begin with; I apologize for not being able to write. I mentioned in my earlier post about my South Africa tour for shooting purposes. I thought that I would be able to post regularly on my blog however owing to my hectic schedules and faulty internet connection facilities, I wasn't able to.

Presently I'm busy with shooting for Acid Factory. I'm leaving for Malaysia for a short shooting schedule now. Hopefully the work would complete in the scheduled time period and I'll be back to Mumbai by the end of this month.

My wife was along with me during the South Africa shoot and she has a guest appearance in the film too. Whenever we go to some country together both of us not only enjoy the nature but also learn the culture and tradition of the country. The same happened this time too. A lot of interesting things happened during the shoot which I'll narrate later, in detail.

Till then, with apologies...

Love
Yours,
Manoj Bajpayee

Cricket and me

The cricket fever has begun and it’s not going to get over until the season ends. And till then, my wife would get irritated with me since she doesn’t like the game. A game in which there’s a ball and the other person hits it and it gets almost impossible for me to understand all this fuss and hype. However, these days I can notice a change in all this. When I watch a match, an excitement is clearly visible on their faces. I wish this temporary interest becomes a serious affair soon. Some people however don’t understand anything but football. Maybe they are right on their place

I wished Mr. Amitabh Bachchan on his birthday. However in the afternoon I got to know about his ill health due to some intestinal problems. I wish him a very happy birthday and may he get well soon.

These days I’m winding up my work in Mumbai because I have to leave for Cape Town in a day or two, for Acid Factory’s shooting. The shooting came to a haul owing to the rains. We have finished one schedule of the film and now the last schedule will be shot.

It will be fun meeting all the friends and the film crew again. I enquired about Cape Town’s weather from the production house so that I can pack my clothing accordingly. Only after getting the details from my secretary Shri Tripathi about my remaining films and the dates, I sat to write this post. Mumbai’s humidity is really troublesome, so much that I don’t feel like doing anything. It’s very irritating. However, work needs to be done. But a pleasant weather makes the work even more exciting.

Coming back to cricket, I wish Sehwag bats well in the second innings and we win the match. Tendulkar is my favorite, but his condition sometimes makes me feel bad.

Hoping to win the match I also wish that Mr. Bachchan becomes healthy soon. I always want him to be happy & healthy and shower his blessings on me.
With this…

Love
Yours,
Manoj Bajpayee

Why Democracy is seldom questioned?

I don’t feel like writing anything today. What’s the use of writing about myself. There’s nothing that’s different from others. The routine and its fate is the same all through. Going to work, coming back home and sleeping thereafter. However, I never stop dreaming; dreaming about an ideal country, an ideal family and an ideal personal life. Things can be achieved on a personal basis; however it becomes difficult when it comes to a society or a country, which comprises of numerous people. It’s not only difficult then but seemingly impossible too.

I just saw a debate on the television. I feel a bit irritated and depressed. There’s politicization of Jamia Nagar’s encounter on one hand and violence in Kandhamal on the other. I feel so deep hatred for the ones engrossed in this heinous crime. Sometimes I even hate that I exist. And the result of all this angst is today’s post. I earlier didn’t feel like writing but thought of releasing my frustration through posting this.

Violence, rape and exploitation are things that no one can give logics for. Neither can it be justified. A community’s or an individual’s act of violence should be immediately punished. When this doesn’t happen the democracy’s questioned. Today, the country is united but still divided and the reasons being violence, language, caste and creed. And we still go to work, come back home and go to sleep. But there are some people who make you feel that things would be fine. And it’s because of these people that there seems a light. Earlier, the democracy was questioned but these days it’s being questioned regularly due to one or the other reasons. The need of the hour is that we as people should consider ourselves a part of this society and country and move together. Religion, region and language shouldn’t be paid much heed. Being a human and belonging to a country should be the supreme.
I just wanted to take out my frustration.

With this….

Love,
Yours
Manoj Bajpayee

A poignant start….

When nothing remains in ones hands; he looks up to the Govt. and the system. But when even the Govt. and the system fail, it’s only the God who becomes the ultimate crutch. And when God fails to help, where should one go? This time I thought I would write something else, but what happened in Jodhpur’s Chamunda Devi temple has shaken me completely. Something of this sort even happened in one of the temples of Allahabad. There were bomb blasts in Malegaon and Sabarkantha a day before. The damage of life and property has been endless and immeasurable. And it’s a sad beginning to the Navratras. I’m completely shattered. I pay homage to all the ones who have lost their lives. May God rest their souls in peace and give strength to their families in this time of need.

Now, it seems that the whole system has crippled. The faith of 120 crore people has crushed. Earlier they weren’t safe in a market and now even a temple is not safe. They have been left neglected. Somewhere, it’s a moment to rejoice owing to the Nuclear Deal and somewhere it’s so sad that many households wouldn’t celebrate Diwali. After Naina Devi, Chamunda Devi, Bihar floods and bomb blasts at least I wouldn’t be able to celebrate Diwali at home. The reason behind not celebrating Diwali is my feelings towards the sufferers and also as a rebel. The time has arrived when the democracy should justify its doings.

I’m an artist and I’m completely dedicated to my art. However, being a part of this society, it’s my duty to do something (writing on my blog, for that matter) if not something substantial for their happiness and well being. I can at least protest.

How did the year go? How would any one be able to celebrate the festivities? I shared with my journo friend that blog has done well to me. This way I’m able to speak my heart out and can actually take out my frustrations. He however said this isn’t my frustration but my anxiousness. It’s important that ones worry and anxiety comes out as a frustration. I have always thought that I don’t belong to Hollywood that I can keep myself aloof from the gravity of my country’s problems. We can’t even think of doing this. Our nation is still developing. If not everything, we can still raise our voices against the prevalent corruption, inflation and poverty. This at least justifies my existence. You may agree or disagree, but in the present day conditions, Escapism is the only success mantra. If yes, then so be it. Today, as an actor, if I do what I feel like and if I’m able to run my family desirably, then it’s for me. I have always achieved more that I had desired for. I can’t leave acting. It’s like oxygen for me. I can always share my worries with people on my blog. And at least can take out the frustrations born out of worries, on my blog.

Before coming to an end, I’d like to mention that, while I was trying to find out news and related information on the news channels on the Chamunda Devi incident, 95% of the channels were airing comedy programs. It seems that 185 people dying is no news. Hail TRPs and Box Office!!!

Love
Yours,
Manoj Bajpayee

It scares me now...

Long back, when I was in class 5th, we went to a school trip to Kashmir via Delhi. We stayed in Delhi and visited the Red Fort, Qutub Minar, etc. We clicked our photographs in a stylized way from various angles, under the Qutub Minar. The photographs are still lying somewhere in some corner. In those days it wasn’t even a trend to plant a bomb under such places that can snatch an innocent life of a child and lives of many more. All this frights me now and I feel scared for everyone who goes out to shop, goes to school, who watches film in a Cineplex, who wants to enjoy in a fair. I feel scared for people who go to crowded places for hanging out or just for buying something.

Today, I’m even scared of my life. It seems to me that the death wouldn’t come because of some disease rather it would come with a bomb blast. Why are people dying? What’s there fault? The ones who are killing; what reason do they have? I pondered a lot over this question, but it seems to be beyond the scope of my understanding. Has anyone a right to kill the innocents? The need of the hour is to be alert and take care of ourselves. It has become important that we fight against this terror together, as no one else would do it for us.

I pay my tribute to the innocent boy who lost his life in the Mehrauli Blast. My feelings are with everyone who suffered injuries in this act.

I just felt like writing after this unfortunate and sad incident. In the end, I’d like to add one more thing. To my friend Imdad, I would say, please don’t get angry and if you already are, I apologize. It’s been a very long time now and it sometimes gets really difficult to recall. Be happy wherever you are. May God bestow all his blessings on you and your family.

Love
Yours,
Manoj Bajpayee

Enjoying Holidays

I read your comments on my last posts. It’s surprising to note that a lot of people still hate each other because of religion. However, everyone has a right to say what they feel like. And yes, in all my previous posts whatever I had written were completely my views. A consensus or difference in opinion doesn’t matter.

Any ways, these days I’m a bit free from work because of the rains that have stopped most of the shooting. I had to go to Hyderabad for a shooting, which also got cancelled due to the Union’s strike. However, it’s good as it has given me enough time to spend at home. I’m a bit lazy by nature and love doing lesser work.

In the meantime, I attended some meetings and read some scripts but it didn’t interest me. There was one script that I liked, but the person had no producer and he’s now searching for one. I don’t understand how to balance my dates with the producers of the films that have been stopped. Most of my time goes into thinking that. I also feel like going to Delhi but there’s a lot of work here that needs to be finished. That’s all I’m busy with these days. It’s like taking out work from a suitcase and keeping it back inside an almirah.

I would like to offer my gratitude to the late Mohan Chandra Sharma, who bravely fought the unfortunate terrorist encounter in Delhi. May his soul rest in peace and may God give his family the strength in this time of trouble.

With this,

Love…
Yours,
Manoj Bajpayee

How To Stop Communal Riots

All my growing years I have seen communal riots and caste based violence as a part of my life. May be as a mute spectator, but I have always been around these. Is the extent and intensity of the incidents happening in Kandhamal and Karnataka justified? Is the Govt. has no role to play? Now, in the name of jehad shall we decide who dies? On the God’s name shall we decide which religion is right and which is immoral or which caste
is elite and which is low.

Actually this debate has been there since ages and violence is an inseparable part of it. The question is who they are? How do they think? How do they think themselves the God? And why do they think they are the Govt.?

I completed my education from a Christian Missionary school. Today, whatever I am is either because of that Christian Missionary school or because of my theatre’s director and teacher Barry John. Why do not caste-creed, religion and region ever comes to my mind? I give this credit to my school and Barry John. Even my parents should be credited for that. After coming to Delhi, the person I did theatre with and the person who introduced me to an actor within me was Shamsul Islam. He was also the one who introduced me to the philosophy of Marx, Lenin and Mahatma Gandhi.

How can I deny their role in my life? And when one gets to see/read this type of news everyday, it makes me feel dejected. I sometimes think what kind of people are they, who consider other’s faith as low. Who are these people who spread violence on the name of religion? How do they think and what’s their ideology? Our Nation is progressing and it’s sad to say that owing to the communal violence and religious aggressions, India is on its way to devastation.

For a complete human and societal development of India, the advent of industrial development is mandatory. It’ll also take away the doom of religion based violence. I hate communal violence and caste based discrimination more than anything else. There can be nothing else than regionalism that I totally despise. I won’t say that the time has arrived. I would rather say that if you don’t get up now, you won’t get up at all. These things and the related violence should stop immediately..!

We should ostracize these people completely as people with such a sick mentality have only one answer which is violence. These people lack logics. I live with my God, I have my God and I don’t want anyone to be responsible for him. I take his responsibility. To everyone, it’s my request; please confine your religion to yourself. That’s your faith. Stop publicizing your religion in any way. Keep it to yourself and feel it within. I don’t discuss my religion and faith with my friends or family; neither do I ever get into such a debate. My God is mine and he’s within me.
With peace…

Love
Yours,
Manoj Bajpayee