Manoj Bajpayee: There is danger in playing to the gallery

The actor's film "Rukh", currently in cinema halls, has been acclaimed by critics. Bajpayee, widely praised for his short but memorable turn as the father, said the "classic novel" structure of the script prompted him to take up the role. The actor, whose performance in Hansal Mehta's 'Aligarh' will be remembered as one of the most poignant portrayals of what it is to be gay in India, said he took up the character of Ramchandra Siras, a professor in Aligarh Muslim University, "with a great sense of responsibility". The actor said he mostly took up commercial roles because of his relationship with filmmakers, but was always "surprised" that mainstream directors wanted to work with him. Content-driven films were a familiar platform, but he enjoyed working with directors such as Neeraj Pandey in the commercial space, he said, referring to their latest collaboration, "Aiyaary".