I pick my work carefully to stay relevant, says Tota Roy Choudhury

Tota Roy Choudhury has been in this industry for more than 20 years and yet, with every outing, he piques our curiosity. Having worked in Tollywood, Bollywood and also down south, the actor seems to have hit a purple patch in his profession. In an exclusive photo shoot with Calcutta Times, the actor who is also a fitness enthusiast, opened up about his latest projects across industries, tackling social media trolls, his new salt-and-pepper look, and more.


I had an epiphany 10 years ago when I asked myself what do I want to do apart from acting. The answer was – nothing else! So, I realised to have a long career in acting, I need to pace myself


It’s surprising how we (the Bengali film industry) couldn’t expand our market even after being one of India’s oldest film industries. In Mumbai, good work is rewarded with more work, while here, it’s more about who you know than what you know


"A fit body can’t be bought, it has to be achieved through sweat & sacrifice," said Tota about his fitness regime.

Talking about his new bearded avatar, Tota Roy Choudhury said, “For the last three years I had been involved in projects where I was required to maintain a clean shaven look. So, when I got a month off this January, I decided to grow it back. When it did, there were a lot of silver strands amongst the dark ones, and I decided to keep it that way.” His new look also seems to fit the bill for his next Hindi film project and Ayan Chakraborti’s Nikhoj. As of now he is shooting for the next season of Feludar Goyendagiri.

Karan Johar’s eye for detail and aesthetics is awe-inducing. He believes in collaborating, rather than commanding. The sets were an ideal creative environment

Alia Bhatt is an instinctive actress while Ranveer Singh is a method actor. It’s a treat to watch them collaborate on screen

I place health and fitness above wealth and power. I have tried to propagate the benefits of health and fitness, and many have been inspired by the pictures, articles and reels I post


Bengalis around the world watched Darjeeling Jawmjawmat. Messages on Srijit’s (Mukherji) and my social media accounts show that they are eagerly waiting for the next season. We take consolation from the fact that with immense success comes increasing enmity. To the trolls I say – that no amount of negativity can hide the simple truth that numbers don’t lie

Not all films by A-listers are superlative. Some of them are terrible disasters too! However, in the last five years, I have been cast in prominent roles by nationally acclaimed directors such as Sujoy Ghosh, Madhur Bhandarkar and the late Pradeep Sarkar. I just worked with Karan Johar too!

Pics: Kaustav Saikia
Makeup and hair: Kaushik and Rajat
Styled by: Roy Abhisek