Manoj Bajpayee Says ‘Lobby And Elitism’ Has Led To The Downfall Of Bollywood

Manoj Bajpayee is geariing up for the release of his film Bhaiyaa Jii. The actor boasts an acting career of more than three decades. In a new interview, he weighed in on the current debate regarding the changing trends in Bollywood and how the industry has changed over the years. 

Manoj Bajpayee says groupism is the ‘key reason’ for industry’s downfall 

In an interview with Pinkvilla, Manoj Bajapyee opined what has changed in Bollywood over the years. The Satya actor reminisced the time when the likes of Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, and Bimal Roy ‘would gather in the evening’ along with ‘new actors, music directors or successful music directors, lyricists, and director’s associate directors.’ He also recalled people coming from all parts of Mumbai and being ‘cordial’ with each other. He added, “An alien industry was based on a fraternity.” 

Talking about how the situation has changed in the current times, Manoj said, “Now the industry is based on lobbies. There is a difference.” He blamed ‘lobbies and elitism’ in the industry and claimed that they have been ‘suffering’ because of the same. He also asserted that the same has impacted the output of work from the industry. He said, “Lobby and elitism - these two things have harmed our industry too much.” 

‘Hum ko introspect karna chahiye’, says Manoj Bajpayee on lobbies in the industry 

In the same conversation, Manoj Bajpayee also asserted that he stays away from any kind of groupism. He claimed, “For many years, I’ve decided not to get into lobbies and all those things. Thus, I cornered myself and I worked alone till Bhaiyya Ji. I go to work and I come back. If you ask do I know anyone? No! Not at all. Do they know me? No, I perhaps met anyone.” 

He further concluded by requesting the fraternity members to come together and take corrective measures against these practices. He said, “Toh yeh koi achi baat nai hai ye apne aap mein hum ko introspect karna chahiye (So, it is not a good thing, and we must introspect) as an industry why this has been happening? And we need to correct that.” Manoj Bajpayee will be next seen in Bhaiyaa Jii which hits the big screens on May 24 and marks the actor’s 100th project in Bollywood.