Prosenjit talks about his upcoming films. (Photo: Prosenjit Chatterjee/Instagram)He is referred to as an ‘industry’ in Bengali cinema. To Prosenjit Chatterjee, Bumba da to the legions of his fans, the label didn’t come easy or fast. In the 80s, when the Bengali film industry hit a rock-bottom in terms of quality, he was the sole actor who featured in almost every film, and was the brightest point of most. They were superhits alright but in terms of content they hit the lowest rank. But he never took a pause. Like a stubborn batsman unwilling to leave the crease, he just kept scoring what was then his ones and twos.
The singles soon turned into centuries. His determination to continue with whatever he had in hand soon paid off and it was not long before Prosenjit Chatterjee became one of the favourite actors of the nationally acclaimed director Rituparno Ghosh. Featuring in Chokher Bali opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was his high point. Not only because he was in the company of top bracketed actors and director but the film also brought back the gloss to Bengali cinema. Prosenjit Chatterjee became a national name.
The trend continues. Having delivered superhits with all the contemporary acclaimed directors of Bengal like Srijit Mukherjee, Atanu Ghosh, Kaushik Ganguly and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, it is perhaps only natural that we will get to see him in the next big-name slot.
But Prosenjit loves challenges and breaking rules. So, his latest release Aay Khuku Aay with television favourite Ditipriya Roy, is directed by new-age and lesser-known director Sauvik Kundu. Another point to be noted is that the film has been produced by another Bengali superstar — Jeet. “What attracted me to the project is the new-age director. I really loved his Switzerland. One day Jeet called me and said he had heard a script. Only if I do the role then the film will hold water. When I heard the script, I understood that it was written keeping me in mind,” he says.
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Talking about the movie which revolves around a father and his daughter, Prosenjit says, “I have come to a point that if the script doesn’t challenge me, I don’t want to do it. I found a huge challenge in this film. First, we don’t frequently come across films having characters that sell. It’s a story of a single father who is socio-economically weak. The everyday struggles that he goes through is what attracted me to do it. But at the same time, it’s very sweet. And the characterization is extremely modern with a strong social message.”
In spite of getting offers every day, Prosenjit chooses his films carefully. “I see two aspects while selecting films. Of my three-four films that release annually, I select some to cater to a wider audience. Like an Autograph (Srijit Mukherjee) or a Praktan (Shiboprosad Mukherjee). But along with it I also do a Mayurakshi (Atanu Ghosh). Or a Jeshthyaputra (Kaushik Ganguly),” he says. It is to be noted that all the films belonging to the two genres – commercial and middle path — are superhits.
A known name in the Bollywood circuit, Prosenjit is set to make his digital debut with Vikramaditya Motwane’s Stardust alongside Aparshakti Khurrana and Aditi Rao Hydari. “Vikramaditya is a new-age star director. When he said he had thought of me while writing the script, it was an honour. Like Tollywood, in Bollywood too, I worked with new-age actors like Aparshakti (Khurana) and Aditi (Rao Hydari). They are so good. So apart from the respect that I received from them, the challenge to work with such good actors was also big. After all, acting is a never-ending learning process,” he says. He has also worked with Hansal Mehta. “He is a good friend. It’s a special appearance but he said only I had to do it,” he added.
OTT or cinema halls — which scores higher? “OTT is a new technology and you have to accept it. The older films that I did were huge box office successes. On television they garnered the highest TRPs. Amidst the box office hits, we witnessed the rise of television. Now, it’s OTT. And every time we thought, ‘That’s it. Now, nobody will go to cinema halls.’ But it’s been proven time and again that the magic of cinema halls never fades. Now, content is king. Even if you make a short film that reaches five lakh viewers on OTT, you have created a successful film. Also, a not-so-successful film on the big screen can go viral on OTT. At the end of the day, the final aim is to reach out to people. So, OTT is definitely not a threat to cinema halls. It’s peaceful co-existence,” he says.
At a time when south Indian films have broken all box office records in the Hindi belt, what ails the Bengali industry from reaching there? “We have the best literature and the best of talents. But economically we have to raise the bar. That’s my only vision – that on the first day a Bengali film should garner at least Rs 10 crores. If we play it correctly, in the next three years we will reach there. Our marketing is weak. We can’t shout,” he reasons.
After 40 years in the film industry, what is left to be achieved? “A lot. When I look at myself, I see so many things are left to be done. So many characters to be played, so many films to be made. Time is just flowing by between my fingers. It’s not enough to do 375 films. And I want to direct films too,” he signs off.
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