Manoj Bajpayee talks about his new release Silence 2 and why many of his characters tend to become ‘iconic’

Manoj Bajpayee in Silence 2

Manoj Bajpayee is in the middle of his most prolific phase workwise. The actor has been seen in as many as four films and series in the course of the last few months. And he is back with one more. Bajpayee is currently starring in Silence 2, a murder mystery that sees him return as ACP Avinash. Ahead of the film’s release, the actor spoke to DNA about reprising the role, India’s obsession with cop dramas, and what makes a character iconic.

Silence 2, like its sequel, is different from several other Indian cop dramas as it focuses more on the police’s methods of catching the bad guy. It is more in the police procedural genre than a whodunit. Talking about the film’s USP, Bajpayee says, “Ours is a society that is obsessed with cop stories, they find it dramatic, so we go back to them. But when it comes to pure investigation, we have never done it – the procedural. This is the first time a director is taking you on that journey.”

Over his three-decade-long career, the National Award-winning actor has played several character that have become iconic, be it Bhiku Mhatre from Satya, Sardar Khan from Gangs of Wasseypur, or Shrikant Tiwari from The Family Man. ACP Avinash Verma is slowly entering that territory too. When asked if he has been able to decode what makes a character iconic, Bajpayee says, “It was very difficult to gauge the audience’s reactions. At the end of the day, it always starts with the script. The character has to be part of an engaging script, where the writer-director take them on a journey that is unknown but still engaging and thrilling. In many ways, it should be something that they have seen for the very first time.”

Silence 2, directed by Aban Deohans, also stars Prachi Desai, Sahil Vaid, Vaquar Shaikh, Dinker Sharma, and Parul Gulati. The film is currently streaming on Zee5.