Bal Thackeray was ‘disappointed’ to learn I dint know Marathi: Manoj Bajpayee revisiting a meeting late Bal Thackeray

Manoj Bajpayee who is currently being praised for his latest release ‘Governor’. In an interaction with a media house on his character Manoj stated, “It’s a run against time for the protagonist to save the country from the crisis.” He also highlighted the unique nature of the subject matter. “To make a thrilling and engaging film on an RBI Governor and his journey to save the country from being declared bankrupt is a huge thing,” he said.

Sharing about his endurances to play S. Venkitaramanan- Manoj said the role required careful attention to mannerisms, appearance and speech patterns. He revealed how adapting the Tamil accent was a major challenge for him. “First of all, I had to remind myself of the way this is for the Hindi audience. So, the accent cannot dominate the matter that I am talking. And still, people should have an idea that he doesn’t belong to the Hindi region. He is coming from Tamil Nadu. The Tamil guy will speak Hindi in a certain way, the Telugu guy in a certain way, and the Malayali guy in a certain way- he said.

During the conversation, Manoj Bajpayee reminisced a similar situation he faced while shooting for ‘Satya’ in 1998- a film that transformed his career. The actor revealed that his portrayal was so convincing that many people believed he was actually Marathi. Among them was the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. Recalling the memorable meeting, Manoj said, “He invited me to his place. He gave me so much respect, but he was completely baffled when he came to know that I am not from Maharashtra. And then he asked me to learn Marathi. He was so disappointed, but I had a great meeting with him. He gave me lots of blessings for the future.”