Directors can have specific genres, not actors: Manoj Bajpayee

Mumbai: Manoj Bajpayee says while a director can have a set genre, actors should not be biased towards a specific type of movie.

The 47-year-old actor, who will be seen playing a pivotal role in the upcoming spy action film ‘Naam Shabana,’ says actors should constantly look for good roles and good scripts, irrespective of the genre.

"A director may work within the confines of a genre, but actors don't have a genre set. They are looking for good scripts and they go wherever they find one. That's what I do as well. I'm not biased towards any particular type of film, story or genre.

"But actors should not be biased towards their favourite genre. I am always looking for something exciting, entertaining and challenging. Sometimes it comes from Neeraj Pandey (scriptwriter for 'Naam Shabana'), sometimes it comes in the form of a Hansal Mehta ('Aligarh') too and sometimes it is from Anurag Kashyap ('Gangs of Wasseypur')," says Manoj.

Talking about his character in ‘Naam Shabana,’ the actor says, "This man has a gruesome past. He was a jawan and has seen many deaths, cold-blooded murders, including fellow agents."

Manoj says it was a difficult role for him as Neeraj wanted him to say his lines without showing any emotion.

"As my character is stone-cold and a matter-of-fact man, he makes no relations with agents under his training. It was difficult for me to do because there were so many lines and keeping them completely devoid of emotion was tough. This was our writer Neeraj Pandey's strict instruction that his tone should not be modulated at all," says Manoj.

The actor says ‘Naam Shabana’ is a very important film for him and it is special as it based on real-time research and concrete investigation.

Talking about the film, which is a spin-off of to the 2015 film "Baby", protagonist Taapsee Pannu says she does not relate with her character but thanks to the film, she can now defend herself without any fear.

"Preparing both physically and mentally for this role made me so strong that I could actually go on doing action sequences for more than 12 hours a day. I can now defend myself any time.

The actress says ‘Baby’ was a real opportunity for her.

"For me, it was a huge role. I did not treat it like a cameo. I would like to thank Neeraj Sir to give it to me when even 'Pink' had not happened."

‘Naam Shabana’ releases on March 31.