Manohar Pandey, who played Bali Putra Angad in Adipurush, has gained a lot of experience within a short span of entering the film industry. He has shared screen space with some of the biggest stars -- Hritik Roshan in Super 30, Alia Bhatt in Gangubai Kathiawadi, Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan in Adipurush – and feels fortunate to have got a chance to interact or just observe them doing a scene.
Manohar knew early in his life that he wanted to be a performing artiste. It is that dream that brought him to Delhi. While in Delhi he got into Pierrot’s Troupe and started doing theatre plays, a phase that he thoroughly enjoyed. “It was, indeed, an enriching experience. While performing on the stage, the audience reaction gave me a kind of high. But I wanted to polish my acting skills. Luckily, I got admission in National School of Drama and specialised in acting,” he says.
In Adipurush, he plays Bali Putra Angad -- the prince of Kishkindha – which he describes as the toughest role he has played so far. “It was a big challenge because the movie was shot in Motion Capture. I didn’t know about how it will be executed. It was a completely new experience for me,” he says. The actor is looking forward to do impactful roles with different shades and depth. “I want to go out of my comfort zone to perfect a character,” he says.
He did an intense workshop to understand his character in Adipurush, and the technicalities of motion capture. “I worked on how Angad will walk and talk. Since he is vanar putra, his voice had a different tone. The workshop helped me approach the character in a different way. To understand and explore the character with all the technical aspects was really fun,” says Manohar. Mahohar has a strict fitness routine. “I love dancing and that is also a form of exercise. I’m a morning person. I hit the gym and do yoga regularly; sometimes I practice dance. I do riyaz and read a lot. I keep myself busy doing some activity or the other,” he adds.
Manohar has been roped in for a Malayalam film — Kannur Squad — under the banner of Mammootty Company with Mammootty playing the lead. Directed by Roby Raj, the film is under post production.