Jul 13, 2026 6:38pm IST
Manoj Bajpayee on 25 Years of ‘Aks’: ‘We Gave It Everything’ (EXLUSIVE)
When Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s directorial debut “Aks” released in July 2001, the thriller stood apart for its exploration of good and evil and the unusual dynamic between its leads, Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpayee. While the film did not find commercial success at the time, it has since acquired cult status. As “Aks” completes 25 years, Bajpayee talks about working closely with Bachchan to explore their interconnected characters and why he remains proud of the film.
How did ‘Aks’ come to you?
Anurag Kashyap told me that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, an ad filmmaker, wanted to make his first feature film and wanted to get in touch with you. I remember meeting him in his office. Rakeysh speaks slowly. He narrated the story for three hours, and that was only till the interval. I had to go to a party, so I heard the second half in brief.
What prompted you to say yes to the subject?
I found it new. I had already said no to many template villain roles that came to me after “Satya” and “Kaun.” I found the idea behind “Aks” so unique. This was not a typical villain’s role. It was talking about good and evil as a philosophy.
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What was it like to work with Amitabh Bachchan?
The thing was that, based on the film’s story, somewhere, he had to copy me. So sometimes he'd come to the shoot or ask to watch my scenes. He saw how I was exploring things. He's a very intelligent man. So, he understood that this man is trying to explore this character all the time. He was looking at my performance very intently. We used to discuss a lot too. It was a very difficult task because in the second half he had to do what I did. Sometimes, he'd call me to his shootings. He'd ask me to perform, and then he'd do it. It was a very different kind of atmosphere. The rehearsal thing is true: after rehearsals, he doesn't want even a word changed. We worked like that on “Satyagraha” and “Aarakshan.” But “Aks” was about exploration. It was very new for both of us. So, we wanted to explore it together.
No matter how big or small you are as an actor, you have to deliver. No matter how much in awe of Mr Bachchan I was, we were working as two actors trying to achieve excellence. Our job was to make a good film. My priority was to be available to him whenever he required me.
What have you learned from Amitabh Bachchan and ‘Aks’?
When you go to work, you must surrender to it. He surrenders like a kid. I hope I’ll be like that at that age. That kind of energy, surrender, and approach to every day of work like a newcomer are commendable.
From “Aks,” what I learned and still apply is never celebrate your work when it’s in the making. Just be with the job. We were used to celebrating a lot because we were achieving it every day. We used to celebrate like kids.
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Did the film’s commercial failure affect you?
I had seen three varied commercial successes with “Satya,” “Shool” and “Kaun.” It wasn't the commercial failure of “Aks” that hurt me. What hurt me was that we gave it everything. I gave my belief, conviction, energy, hard work to it. At the end of the day, something somewhere didn’t land right. I felt that we could not see that when we were making it. Somewhere, I felt that it took a little misdirection in the second half of the second half.
Did you even discuss the film’s performance with director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra?
We are very proud of the film. Today, it's celebrated like a cult film. But we're creative people, so we keep looking for mistakes. It was a great experience creating a character I had never experienced before or since. Rakeysh Mehra asked me to create a perfect evil character, and I created one from that. I'm very proud of it. But yes, if I am asked to do it today, I would do it differently.
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