I feel overwhelmed to work in Fatakra: Samrat

Having shot for Deepa Mehta���������s ���������Midnight���������s Children���������, Samrat Chakrabarti is now excited about being a part of ���������Fatakra��������� that has received the student Oscar this year.
How did you bag the Deepa Mehta film?
A few years ago, Joseph Matthew���������s ���������Bombay Summer��������� (a film, where I play one of the leads), was screened at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.Deepa was in the audience. Once the film finished, she came up to me and told me that she was working on ���������Midnight���������s Children��������� and wanted me to be a part of it.
This film has an ensemble cast. Does that make it a little more difficult for you to get noticed with your performances?
Anyone who knows the novel, knows that it is an epic piece. The novel has hundreds of memorable characters that come in and out over a span of a few decades. As a result, this film has quite a large and star-studded ensemble cast including legends like Seema Biswas, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher. I am honoured to be a part of such an ensemble. At the end of the day, it���������s about conveying the story in a truthful, believable and interesting manner. It was great to work together with Deepa, to create my character, Wee Willie Winkie, and figure out how he fits into the overall story.
What is the most difficult part of playing Wee Willie Winkie? How differently has his character been etched in the film vis-a-vie the book?
In the novel, Wee Willie Winkie is first introduced as a street entertainer, who sings and plays the accordion for the upper class.
Do you know how to play the accordion?
In real life, I know how to play the piano, but I had never played an accordion properly. I wanted to bring an authenticity to the character. So, I took accordion lessons in NYC for a few weeks and practised a few songs until they became second nature. Using Rushdie���������s novel as a detailed reference, I worked with Deepa to bring Wee Willie Winkie to life through emotions, body language and finding the right energy. It was a magical set to be on and inspiring to work with Deepa.
You���������ve played the lead and composed the music for a movie that won a student Oscar this year. What���������s that project about? Will you attend the ceremony in Hollywood?
Soham Mehta���������s ���������Fatakra��������� is a film about a young Indian father, Naveen, trying to reconnect with his son and wife after being absent in their lives for three years. It���������s set in USA during the recession. I play Naveen and also composed the background music for the film. I feel overwhelmed and lucky to be part of a film that has received the student Oscar this year. Writer/director Soham Mehta is an extraordinary talent to look out for. I will be at the ceremony in Hollywood later in June, as long as, I can get out of rehearsals for the play I���������m working on currently in NYC.
What���������s this play all about?
A fellow NY actor, Sanjiv Jhaveri, and I have created a 70-minute all-sung musical play called ���������Bakwas Bumbug��������� It���������s a musical reinvention of Charles Dickens��������� ���������A Christmas Carol���������, told through the looking glass of NYC immigrants and Hyphenated America. Sanjiv and I are directing a workshop stage production of it, which is scheduled to go up at the end of June. It has an ensemble of eight actors.
For Indian actors, do you think it is relatively more easy to be considered for TV series than movies abroad?
I think, more and more TV shows and movies abroad are having Indian actors in them. That is a great thing. It would be incredible to see more three
dimensional, meaty roles written for Indian actors. I think, we are headed in the right direction. Let���������s continue to push things forward.