Hoichoi

Manoj Kumar Pramanik talks about ‘Taqdeer’ and his journey as an actor

It has been a while when a Bangladeshi production came up with characters that swayed the hearts of the audience. This year, in the time of stagnancy, came Taqdeer as a breath of fresh air. It offered a number of characters that people are enthusiastically engaged with. Besides the protagonist, Taqdeer and his confidant, Montu, the character Moinul Rana– an incompetent photo journalist played by actor Manoj Kumar Pramanik, added the necessary twists to the story. Through the last decade, Manoj’s name has been vastly recalled for his romantic portrayals in advertisements and television productions. From stage to television to silver screen to the current wave of OTT, Manoj has embarked upon all the platforms. Despite portraying an array of characters, he still remains as an underrated name. In a brief tête-à-tête, Manoj Kumar Pramanik shares his insights of Moinul Rana and his journey as an actor.

His preparation for Rana was evident in its portrayal.  A similar preparation was observed in the multiple roles he projected in Aynabaji Original Series- Ful Fotanor Khela in 2017. The actor agrees that among the few roles he got time to prepare, Phul Fotanor Khela and Taqdeer are noteworthy. 

Of the trio, Moinul Rana could be considered as the deuteragonist of the story. “Moinul Rana is perhaps the most humane of all the characters in Taqdeer. Not only is he responsible for his own fate but also is the catalyst who stirs the complications of the story,” Manoj comments. Indeed, from a shady phone call to an abrupt disappearance, Rana not only brought complications but certain subtle comic reliefs through his asinine behaviour and dialogues. As I inquired about his preparation process he said: “We usually have to work under strict timeline. Mostly we get character briefs but do not have enough time to indulge into the character. I got some time to prepare for Rana. As a team, we worked on his mannerism and look. Given a choice, I would have liked to get into the psyche of Rana a little more but I have no complains.” 

Rana has a distinct look; with full beard and heavier body, he was a different Manoj. “I had to maintain long beard for the character. I did put on a little weight but it was mainly the short hair that added the extra pound,” he shared. Fascinated by the hairstyles of his character arc, I asked if hair is his point of interest. “Not in particular, but I do try to imagine what the character might look like. I try to understand the character and adapt it in my body. During any shoot, I stay in the character even when I’m not in front of the camera. Even that bit adds to the continuity of the character,” he asserted. As a theatre practitioner, Manoj recalled preparing for a character over a long period of time before going to the stage. On screen, the opportunities are narrow. “We have limitations but still we try to pull good work within those constrains. I’m hopeful that someday we will have the resources and productions where actors will have the opportunity to indulge themselves into the story,” he adds. 

Moinul Rana abruptly disappears on the second last episode. Did it leave any regrets? “Not at all,” Manoj reacts laughingly. “I believe the lifetime of a character depends upon the requirement of the storyline. I absolutely trust my director. He did not unnecessarily drag the character. It is these precisions that make a good production.” 

Talking about his co-artists and their impacts on his performance he said: “I do not get intimidated by the person in real life when I am acting. In Taqdeer for example, I did not think I am interacting with Chanchal Chowdhury. I knew I was Rana and he was Taqdeer.” 

Through experimentation and observation Manoj has groomed himself to a performer that he is today. He does not believe in following a particular actor and thus follows his own call of observation and experience to shape up the roles. There are actors who religiously watch their own work for self-evaluation and there are some who absolutely refuse it. Manoj leans towards the later. “Honestly, I feel nervous to see my own work. Solitary evaluations possibly help a performer and I do it sometimes but I feel shaky watching my own work with others.”  

For any performer, audience and their reaction are very important. Character roles often get unnoticed for immediate reaction. With an analogy of a football match, Manoj explains his feeling. “It is true that generally the audience moves with the emotion of the story like we recall the player who scores the goal. The game depends upon many other factors. But we have no reason to undermine the audience, I believe they analyze more than before. For me personally, my performance do not get affected by reaction. I look for a good story and opportunity to explore.”

Through the brief conversation it is evident that Manoj Kumar Pramanik has carefully chosen the life of an actor. “Life is about role play. We all do it.  As an actor, I not only get to live my life but the lives of different characters with different stories. Exploring the journey of a character fascinates me,” Manoj concludes.