Manoj Bajpayee Returns with "Joram," a Gripping Tale of Displacement and Environmental Crisis

Manoj Bajpayee expresses his happiness that the public has responded well to his two films, "Gulmohar" and "Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai." He plans to round off the year well with "Joram," a narrative that tackles environmental crises and displacement.

Beginning in 2023, Bajpayee acted in the family drama film "Gulmohar" on Disney+ Hotstar. The film was directed by Rahul V. Chittella and featured renowned performer Sharmila Tagore. His next project was the courtroom drama "Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai" starring Apoorv Singh Karki, which debuted on ZEE5.

The two films were shown on Friday as part of the Indian Panorama segment of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held here. Bajpayee went to the movie's screenings with Karki and Chittella.

"I find it incredible that I've had such a big year. "Gulmohar" and "Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai," two of my films, have really delighted audiences and attained a level of popularity that is astounding for any film to accomplish on OTT. 'Joram' is our last song today.

What more can I hope to achieve in my job, then? The actor told PTI in an interview that "this has been a blessed year for me with 'Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai' and 'Gulmohar' becoming such cult films and appreciated by everyone."

Bajpayee and Devashish Makhija, the writer-director of his 2018 film "Bhonsle," for which the actor had received the National Film Award, have reunited in "Joram."

"Ghosts of his past and the forces that want him dead at any cost" are the enemies that Bajpayee's character, a father, must flee across half the nation with in order to protect his infant daughter.

"Devashish needed some time to actually figure out how to pull it off, and I needed time to locate a producer for the movie, so I said yes to 'Joram' a long time ago. The fact that Zee Studios decided to support the movie right away really surprises and pleases me.

"And once a big corporate like Zee Studios is convinced about a subject like 'Joram', you know that your journey is going to be far easier." He said that "Joram" examines the struggle between man and nature, while "Bhonsle" dealt with issues of identity, loneliness, and belonging.

"Joram is coping with being uprooted. It addresses the struggle that exists between the environment and humans. Devashish's brilliant intellect astounds me; he handled both worlds ('Bhonsle' and 'Joram') and both difficulties so deftly. As if he were an authority on loneliness from "Bhonsle," and as though he were an environmental envoy with extensive knowledge of environmental and displacement issues." At the beginning of the endeavor, Bajpayee faced only difficulties. The actor said that it was difficult to come up with a credible performance.

"You are playing a man who you are not familiar with. Though you saw him from a distance, you have seen him. The greatest problem is to really feel like you belong in that environment. Playing someone who feels like he's continually being stifled and doesn't have a voice is not an easy task.

Finding the ideal pitch and character traits to really persuade my director and the other stakeholders proved to be a very challenging task. It was a challenging assignment," he said.

Bajpayee has recently won praise from critics for his portrayal of a commanding guy in his films. The actor said that he honors those who have "no voice in the society" via his artistic endeavors.

"I like portraying them because I'm interested in these people's lives. Their existence is uncertain every hour, but what is really amazing is the confidence with which they are living it. Whenever I see them smiling, I'm always taken aback.

"How, despite all of the hardships they face, they are enjoying their own lives. They are my source of inspiration. They serve as my motivation. They've been like that forever. I think of it as a simple homage that I continue to pay them via my actions and performances," he said.

After a lengthy run at festivals such as the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the Busan International Film Festival, "Joram" will finally be released in theaters on December 8.

Since "Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari" came out in 2020, this would be Bajpayee's first theatrical release. He is hoping that the audience will like the film.

"I'm requesting the audience to just go ahead, watch the film and experience a world that they have never known or experienced before." According to Bajpayee, the coronavirus epidemic was the reason for the lengthy wait between movie releases in theaters.

"There were no operating theaters, and when they did, the directors and producers were worried about the attendance of the new venues. It has been difficult to claim that people are still going to and seeing every movie.

"In my opinion, things are starting to perk up and more people are gradually coming out. The true indication that people are interested in going to the movies and viewing a film in a theater would be if they proceed to see the fantastic movie "Joram" in theaters." Tannishtha Chatterjee, Rajshri Deshpande, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and Smita Tambe are also featured in the movie.

Produced by Makhijafilm in association with Zee Studios, "Joram" has contributions from Shariq Patel, Ashima Avasthi Chaudhuri, Anupama Bose, and Makhija.