One of the most important events that marked 2023 for Radoš Bajić, a famous actor and director, is his film Heroji Halijarda (The Heroes of Halyard). That is not the only thing he was busy doing last year but, in his interview for the New Year’s edition of Kurir, he said that it was “his career’s crowning achievement.” Bajić also very openly discussed the hot political and state-related topics, as well as what caused him the most hurt.
“I’ve dedicated five years of my life to Halyard, which I can now say is the crowning achievement of my career. The film has got excellent reviews and was received well by the domestic audiences. It very successfully started its international life at the A-list international film festival in Tallinn. In 2024, I’ve been invited to many important film festivals in the world. After nearly eight decades since the end of World War II, I’m very proud that the audiences have recognized the powerful messages of national reconciliation that our film sends, which we sorely need.”
Sadly, the latest events in Serbia do not testify to that. The opposition has been protesting for days claiming that the recent elections in Belgrade were irregular, and on Sunday night we witnessed a violent and brutal attempt at getting into the Town Hall and causing chaos in the streets. What is your take on that?
“That evening I was staring at the TV screen in silence, which showed a sad image upon sad image of the destruction of The Old Palace, which is a cultural monument and a relic of our national identity, and I felt ashamed and embarrassed. Is it possible that as a nation we’ve learnt nothing from the tragic history of the Serbian divisions? Will we once again get at each other’s throats? I know a lot about the horrific starting points of this discord because, working on Ravna Gora (The Highland) and Halyard, I studied the ill fate of the Serbian predicament and fratricide. No nation in the region has massacred and killed each other more than Serbs. It’s high time we came to our senses.”
Are you afraid that the situation may escalate?
“We need reason now more than ever. The true life’s joys, aspirations, and fight for the personal prosperity of each individual was put on the backburner by the politics that has been holding us hostage and which determines our daily destiny irrespective of our will. As a man at an advanced age, who hasn’t been trodden on only by a steamroller, I’m not afraid for myself, but I do worry and fear for the future of our children.”
Do you think that the latest elections were regular?
“They seemed regular to me. If there are complaints that they weren’t, this state’s institutions are the ones to establish that. Anything else is anarchy. No one is denying to the opposition the right to point out irregularities in the election process and to have peaceful protests. However, it appears that the most prominent figures got carried away and flew high. Convinced that they have the unlimited capacity of the people’s will behind them to allow them a triumphant spot in modern Serbia’s history, they called on the people to take power by force. Their recent justifications that they didn’t call for violence and offloading the guilt onto the people’s anger are in vain. By my lights, it was a big mistake.”
What sort of damage do events like this inflict on us?
“An enormous damage. Sadly, we have sent to the world the images of madness and destruction – right before the New Year’s festivities, during which our Belgrade has every year been becoming a more and more sought-after tourist destination for hundreds of thousands of guests from across the globe. Hoping to experience our people’s hospitality in peace, enjoy the beauty of our culture, music, food… Now, when we have shown them us gouging each other’s eyes, it would be interesting to find out how many of these tourist arrangements have been cancelled.”
Do you not think that the foreign elements are very involved in the current events surrounding the elections, and that there is a great impact of the foreign intelligence services?
“I’m not a political analyst or a security expert. Like all ordinary people, I only have the publicly available information, but I can certainly give things a thought. It’s enough to see the surroundings and the steel embrace of the Western military NATO alliance that Serbia is fenced in by – like a paradise island that everyone’s looking at and claiming right over. On the other hand, when from a historical perspective you realize that we lived in the firm grip of the Soviet interest sphere for decades, taking account of the fact that we are even today brothers by faith with the biggest Orthodox Christian nation, it’s clear that the Russians won’t easily relinquish us either. This is why everyone’s so interested in looking at our business and learning what we’re cooking up…”
Who stands to benefit from this in the first place – from such violence in the streets and such a sharp division among the citizens? Some analysts are of the opinion that this is a planned scenario, an attempt at a new Maidan Uprising.
“I believe that the conditions for an uprising or a revolution are not met. There are problems aplenty, but Serbia lives on according to what is possible, it is developing and making economic progress, and we should not turn a blind eye to this fact. Until a few months ago, I’d needed almost three hours to get from Belgrade to my home in my village of Medveđa near Trstenik, whereas today I get there in less than two hours, thanks to the Morava Corridor Motorway. Such examples are countless in Serbia today.”
You have mentioned your home village, and you have very close ties to your place of origin. Do you feel as a Belgrader at all ?
“Judging by the claims of a colleague whose name I won’t mention because everyone will know anyway who it is, who said that Belgrade is a den of beasts, that all of us living outside the city centre and Novi Beograd aren’t Belgraders, but rather people who go to the shopping malls in Belgrade on weekends – then, regardless of the fact that I’ve spent half a century in Belgrade, I’m not a Belgrader either. Because I live in the Rakovica Municipality. This is why expect them to introduce some sort of passport for us… I guess it’s one of the doctrines of that famous Proclamation, one of whose main initiators is him…”
What do you personally hold against the opposition?
“Two things. First, I think that the opposition needs new leaders with a new vision, which would bring them more success in their fight for power. Because, if you take a good look, almost 100 percent of those who are now on the political scene crawled out from under the Democratic Party hen, which they destroyed in the process. Second, I’m not in love with Aleksandar Vučić, but it seems to me that the opposition’s fundamental platform in the fight for power is a pathological and personal hatred against him. So, against someone who is a legitimately elected President of the Republic of Serbia, which for me is very primitive and repulsive. I’d be happy if both sides showed more mutual respect, a gentlemanly spirit, and chivalry because Serbia comes first and is more important than any of them.”
And what are your objections to the Progressive Party ?
“To the ruling party – three things. I think the glut there is evident, and that they too need new blood, i.e. new faces. Further, I think their attitude that whoever thinks differently is declared an enemy and a traitor isn’t good. And, perhaps most importantly – the fact that they have allowed people of dubious integrity, whose sole goal is personal interest and wealth, to infiltrate the party and state infrastructure. I mean well when I say that this is the people’s greatest objection to them.”
President Vučić recently said that the coming year will be full of challenges because of the complex geopolitical situation and because of what is for us the most important issue – Kosovo & Metohija. Will we ever unite around crucial national issues?
“I doubt very much that we’ll reach the necessary consensus relating to Kosovo. I believe it will be very difficult, but I also think that no Serb will ever sign off on the secession of a part of Serbian territory, which is the epicentre of our spirituality and national identity. As for me personally, I would never recognize that new Albanian state in the metochion territory of the Nemanjić family and Emperor Dušan.
We have touched mostly on the difficult and controversial issues bothering the majority of our citizens. What personally hurt you in 2023?
“The death of Žarko Laušević. It was an untimely departure of the great knight of the acting art and a very honest man with integrity, who paid an all too dear a price for one horrible moment which had marked and shortened his life.”
To end on a lighter note – is there something specific that you would like to praise or point out?
“I’d like to commend all the funds set aside for culture, especially for film, and the results achieved by the Ministry of Culture, headed by Maja Gojković A lot has been done in all areas, and as concerns my profession – between 2016 and now, over 70 million euros have been set aside for audio-visual arts, and in the past decade nearly 170 million directly for film. Realistically and, if you will, by God’s justice, film art cannot remember film workers, directors, scriptwriters, actors, and other participants in the production process having better conditions. All we need to do now is make better films…”
The past year, in addition to the premiere of Halyard, was also marked for you by the rerun of the TV series Selo Gori A Baba Se Češlja (The Village Is Burning, And Grandma is Playing Flute), whose enormous viewing figures have proven you to be the ratings king. How will 2024 start professionally for you?
“Thankfully, there’s a lot of work. Right after the New Year’s, the second season of our TV series Azbuka Naših Života (The Alphabet of Our Lives) – authored by my Jelena Bajić Jočić – is starting on Superstar, and soon after on TV Prva too. We’re finishing the TV series Vazdušni Most (Airbridge), which will be broadcast in spring. In early May, we’re starting to shoot the feature film Čuvar Ikone Svetog Đorđa (The Guardian of Saint George’s Icon). There are more plans, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it...”
What is your New Year’s wish for our readers?
“Peace, health, happiness, well-being – and good prospects for all, first and foremost for our children.”
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