I was in love with Kolkata way before I came to the city: Manu Parekh

According to his wife, Madhvi,

Manu Parekh

is almost a Bengali man. “If there is a Bengali at the door, she says, ‘Go, there is a visitor from your gaon’,” joked the artist, as he settled down on the chair after a day-long shoot in Bali. He was in the city for a documentary, Manu Parekh: Crossover of Culture, which promises to explore the different aspects of his life. “I am going to be 80 soon. So, I have a lot of experiences to share. But the biggest takeaway of this documentary is the involvement of Soumitrada (Chatterjee). He started as an advisor in the beginning. And then he became more and more involved,” Manu told us. In a candid chat, the artist opened up on his tryst with Kolkata between 1965 and 1975.

On the documentary
Sare panchtar somoy ami tram e boshe shoot kore elam (I took a tram at 5 am for the shoot). This is the third documentary on me and it is still very special. I will be 80 next year. The oeuvre is bigger now. And this documentary is incepted, directed and supported by Kolkata — the city that gave a great start to my life. And, for me, the biggest attraction is Soumitra Chatterjee.

On Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitrada is an icon. Till today, when I talk to him, Apur Sansar plays on my mind. I am a great admirer of Bengali films. Soumitrada started as an advisor in the beginning. And then he became more and more involved. It is a very different type of a structure. It is a documentary on my work and different aspects of my career — my experience as an actor, my career as a painter, my 25-year-old association with Pupul Jayakar (I worked in villages for handicrafts and handlooms as a design consultant) and my life in Kolkata and Banaras. We have too much of material with us and, hence, did not want to start with a tight script. Soumitrada will be asking questions and I will answer and that will create a conversation. Soumitrada’s cinematic inputs are invaluable. The way we shot the docu in the last two days here in Kolkata, is amazing. At the time of editing too, he is going to be there. The docu is made under his supervision.

The artist’s love for Bangla
Way before coming to Kolkata — a time when I was unaware of the fact that I would ever come to this city — I fell in love with its culture. I have always been keen on watching films. I became a member of Anandam Film Society. I started watching Truffaut, Satyajit Ray and other world movies. When I was in Ahmedabad, there used to be a morning show of Bengali films. Without knowing much, I started watching those films — Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar and so on. When I watched them, I had little idea about the legacy of these films. But I was spellbound. The magic elements remain with me till today. I used to act on stage. In Mumbai, I used to act with Taarak Mehta. Afterwards, I went to Ahmedabad and worked with IPTA’s director, Jasband Thakkar. And they did Mukta-Dhara in Gujarati. I was 23 and played the role of the king. I also designed the set. So you see, even without knowing that I was going to spend years in this city, I was exposed to the culture of Kolkata. And I was a great admirer of Rabindranath’s paintings.

Unplanned transfer to Kolkata and the new journey
I came here in 1965. I was 24-25. I took a job under Pupul Jayakar in All India Handloom Board as a designer. I was in Mumbai for two and a half years. And then, I got a transfer order to Chennai. That order was later cancelled. And I had some problems with the officers. After a month, the officer said, ‘Your order has come’. And I was like, ‘Okay. I am going to Chennai’. And he said, ‘No. You are going to Kolkata’. And that came as a slap on my face because they used to call Kolkata, Kalapani. No officer wanted to come to Kolkata for the crowd, et al. So I felt very bad, you know. But soon I saw the positive side of it. I thought that I really wanted to come to this city but never got a chance. Now is my time. I stayed here for 10 years and no one disturbed me. I came here in 1965. That was the golden period of Bengal.

‘It took me a week to become a Kolkatan’
Imagine the time. I was 25. It took me a week to become a Kolkatan. I was well aware of the city — through films, theatre and Rabindranath’s paintings and so on. Soon I met Shyamal Dutta Ray at

Deshapriya Park

. He immediately recognised me and asked me to visit Sutripti for their famous adda. That was the first Sunday in Kolkata and for the rest of the 10 years, I was in good company. There were many writers, painters, filmmakers… Those were the days.