Role in 'Aligarh' made me a better person: Manoj Bajpayee

Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who has essayed the role of a professor in Hansal Mehta's "Aligarh", says it changed him and made him a "better person".

"My role in Aligarh is so gentle and pure hearted that it made me a better person. I have not seen a noble human like him (the character in Aligarh). It is a great story to tell. You will be moved by the character," Manoj told IANS in an interview.

The actor also said that "acting is the most difficult job in the entire world".

"It is always tough to get into somebody else's skin and to understand somebody else's soul or his journey when you are doing serious acting. So nothing gives you immense pleasure when you resemble the role you are playing," he added.

Talking about his character in "Aligarh", Manoj said he felt the story moved the audience which primarily focuses on the treatment of homosexuality in Indian society.

Set in a town in Uttar Pradesh from which the film takes its name, "Aligarh" is the story of a professor (Manoj Bajpayee) fired for his sexuality and a young journalist (Rajkummar Rao) who tells his story to the world.

As the film garnered applause and received a standing ovation following its screening at the 20th Busan International Film Festival and London Film Festival, an elated Manoj said "We got huge appreciation at Busan and London Film Festival. Critics and audience admired the film and emailed me, left messages. So this proves that 'Aligarh' is a great film and doesn't matter whether it is about homosexuality or not, but it is a great story to tell."

"Aligarh" will open the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival here on October 30.