The versatile Bollywood star Manoj Bajpayee recently, she looked back on her longtime relationship with the filmmaker Devashish Makhija and shared insights into the journey behind some of their most talked about projects. During the promotional campaign of ‘Governor’, the actor spoke about the creation of Bhonsle, Tandav and Joram. He talked about the challenges they faced and the circumstances that shaped these films over time. During his interaction with IANS, Manoj explained that several things happened gradually and not all projects moved smoothly from the start. Earlier plans between him and the filmmaker faced several difficulties before they finally took shape.
Funding difficulties delayed the initial plans
Talking about the early stages of their collaboration, Manoj recalled that another project was initially planned before Tandav came into the picture. However, financial support became a major challenge and slowed down the process. Sharing the details, he said, “Devashish Makhija made his debut in cinema. Before that, I don’t think they were on a film camera. He did ‘Tandav’ with me. It was very successful on YouTube. And he has got a lot of international laurels. Before ‘Tandav’, we had to do another film, wrote Devashish Makhija. However, we arranged grants. Devashish Makhija is not a resourceful person who was already known and working in the industry.”
How ‘Tandav’ changed the situation
Manoj further explained that although Bhonsle kept facing delays, he and Makhija decided to focus on a shorter project. This decision was later important for their journey. He added, “But still, I was finally able to get funds for ‘Bhonsle’. It took time to make it. So I told him, let’s make a short film. He said, give me two days. After two days, he came with the script for ‘Tandav’. And then we started moving. We had 30-35 lacs. So we made a movie. When we started making money, that’s when ‘Bhonsle’ came into existence.”
‘Joram’ became one of his toughest experiences
Manoj also reflected on Joram, and explained how the role had an impact on him as an actor. According to him, the film demanded total involvement and pushed him mentally and emotionally. He said, “Till ‘Bhonsle’ was made, he told me a story about ‘Joram’. Then we did Joram. Shahrukh Patel was the CEO of Zee Studios. I informed him about it. He said, ‘We are ready to do the film’. It is one of my best performances. Yes, it made me worry. He tested me. I lost my feet. The number of shots I had, it was so immersive. But I’m very proud of that performance.”
Upcoming release for Manoj Bajpayee
Bhonsle won Manoj Bajpayee the National Award for Best Performance by an Actor. Meanwhile, the film ‘Governor’ directed by the actor is gearing up for release Chinmay MandlekarWhich will hit theaters on June 12, 2026. His previous release was the psychological thriller ‘The Fable’.
