Manoj Bajpai Movies
From the outset of his career, Hindi-language actor Manoj Bajpai developed and sustained a reputation for welcoming risky, edgy, and emotionally demanding roles. A native of Bilwa, India, Bajpai fell in love with acting from an early age, but reportedly received three separate rejections from the National School of Drama in New Delhi. Nevertheless, Bajpai persisted, and his efforts paid off with one of the lead roles in Shekhar Kapur's well-received but grueling, feminist-charged political drama Bandit Queen (1994) (officially an Indian-British co-production), and equally prominent billing in the projects Shool (1999), Pinjar (2003), and Bewafaa (2004). In 2008, Bajpai starred as Lalabhai in the madcap Bollywood ensemble comedy Money Hai Toh Honey Hai. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 2008
Initially ignoring their invitation to a lavish resort by a cranky old man, six strangers ultimately decide to take the trip, and soon find themselves facing off against one another in a heated competition to find out who will become the new owner of the coveted vacation retreat. Bobby is a young planer who aspires to great things, but he's not the only member of this group with great ambition. Also along for the ride is failed businessman Lala Bhai, earnest copy writer Guarav, aspiring model Manik, struggling fashion designer Shruti, and popular television actress Ashima. Each of these contestants was initially under the impression that they were the only person invited, and as tensions begin to flare, it appears unlikely that they will prove capable of running the resort together. As vicious infighting commences among the volatile group, the owner's loyal manager, Parag Batra, begins to manipulate them from behind the scenes in hopes that they will eventually self-implode and he will emerge the true heir to his boss' profitable resort. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Govinda, Aftab Shivdasani, (more)
- 2007
Director Amrit Sagar weaves this remarkable tale of bravery and courage set againstthe backdrop of the Bangladesh War, and following six Indian prisoners of war as they stage a daredevil escape from a Pakistani POW camp. A tribute to all Indian prisoners of war who never returned home from Pakistan, 1971 was inspired by a story told to the director by his father, and stars Manoj Bajpai and Ravi Kishan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Manoj Bajpai, Ravi Kishan, (more)
- 2007
Six directors converge to film an ensemble epic detailing the love and companionship of two friends torn apart by the cruel mechanisms of fate. When a writer makes a shocking discovery about the woman he loves most, the grip of madness takes hold of his fragile psyche. Later, when an underworld don and his best friend attempt to navigate their way through a potentially explosive internal conflict, five friends find that the fictional stories they weave seem to have a profound and unexpected effect on reality. Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Arbaaz Khan, and Dino Morea star in a film from directors Jasmeet Dhodi, Hansal Mehta, Meghna Gulzar, Rohit Roy, Apoorva Lakhia, and Sanjay Gupta. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, (more)
A star-crossed love affair has political as well as emotional repercussions in this Bollywood romantic drama. Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan) is an officer and pilot in the Indian Air Force who one day meets a beautiful Pakistani heiress, Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta), as she travels to a small Indian village to scatter the ashes of one of her family's loyal servants. Veer has family in the village, and while most Indians show no affection for Pakistanis, his aunt and uncle are willing to take Zaara in for the night. It isn't long before Veer finds himself falling for her; however, Veer learns that Zaara is engaged to another man, Raza (Manoj Bajpai), a cruel and humorless Pakistani. A friend of Zaara contacts Veer and tells him that Zaara wants out of her engagement and has strong feelings for him, but when he comes to her rescue, matters take a turn for the worse and Veer winds up in jail. Twenty years later, Veer is still behind bars, and finds that his case is being given a new trial, but while he has a new chance at freedom, he discovers his lawyer will be going up against a state attorney who has never lost a case. Veer-Zaara was one of the first Indian blockbusters to open in India, the United States, and the United Kingdom at the same time. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, (more)
Bandit Queen, based on the true story of legendary female warrior Phoolan Devi, is a confrontational epic that paints a far different picture of India from other arthouse productions. Devi (Seema Biswas) is married at age 11, abandoned by her husband when she resists his advances, and turned into a social outcast who, at one point, is gang-raped by the upper-caste men of one village. She later gets her revenge by organizing a massacre that leaves 20 villagers dead. Devi ultimately leads a band of latter-day Robin Hoods on bold raids against landowners in Central India during the late '70s and early '80s, often taking their spoils and redistributing them to poor tenant farmers. By the time she is arrested in 1983, Devi has become a folk hero, especially to the women who live in rural India's brutally patriarchal society. A full-fledged commercial production, handsomely produced and directed by talented Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (who emerged from the country's vaunted "Bollywood" system), Bandit Queen painfully exposes a controversial aspect of Indian culture, while providing a triumphant portrait of female empowerment. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey, (more)
