Manoj Bajpayee who starred in Missing turned seven on 6 April, is rightly proud of the film. “Missing is something that I co-produced with Neeraj Pandey’s company and we shot it entirely in Mauritius. It’s always a delight to work with Tabu, and there was another huge talent, Anu Kapoorji, in the film. And this, the story, everything happens within a resort and the missing child.”

Missing was memorable for Manoj on many counts. “It was a psychological drama. What I remember from the shoot is that my little child, daughter, my wife, all of them were there. They were having their own fun while we were shooting continuously.”

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The film gave Manoj a chance to try something different. “There was a new thing that I tried to do with my character and for that, it has become very special because I was successful in trying a new kind of craft, which was the fumble. I played with the fumble in the character because more and more lies, he says, more the fumbling keeps on increasing. So, just connected fear with the fumble.”

Missing is a favourite in Manoj’s oeuvre. “I’ll always remember Missing not only a great experience of shooting and a fantastic film that Mukul Abhyankar has made, but also for this experiment that one has done and succeeded. It’s always about, you know, coming up with a new thing for the character and trying to break the boundaries, trying to do something new without any kind of insecurity and fear. And, you know, this experimentation has really given me a lot of courage in, you know, doing these kind of things in future.”

Manoj is full of praise for his Missing co-star. “Tabu and I worked together in Hansal Mehta’s Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and Akash Deep’s Ghaat many years ago. Now I can say we did a film together that does justice to her talent, and the talent of Anu Kapoor. Missing is basically about three characters played by three of us actors”.

He modestly keeps himself missing from the taareef. “I am never satisfied with my own performances. There’s always a hunger. That’s why I am led to new directors. Mukul Abhyankar, who directed Missing shocked me. He was constantly excited about the scenes we shot every day. He would call up at the end of the day and say, ‘Sir, yeh aapne kaise kiya?’ Kiya, kyonki aapne diya.  An actor needs a director and co-stars who inspire him. I got both in Missing.”

Explaining further Manoj adds, “Missing is a suspense film in the truest sense. Every twist and turn in the plot is crucial. I never knew it was so difficult to promote a suspense film. I knew the media was going to ask us questions about the plot, and one of us might blurt out something that would give away the suspense. I’ve never been more scared of promoting any of my films.”

Manoj confesses preparing the trailer of Missing was a killer. “We had to be careful with every frame because most frames had a suspense element. All three of us Tabu, Anu Kapoor, and I seldom had a chance to give so much of ourselves to a film.”

The writer is a veteran film journalist and columnist. Views are personal.