Satrajit Sen had the privilege of working with
Soumitra Chatterjee in his directorial debut, Michael. Recently, he had the privilege to meet the stalwart again and it was enriching.
“I was only too glad when my photographer friend requested me to pick up Soumitrada for a calendar shoot that he was conducting on an early December morning. When I asked him for a selfie at a traffic signal, he obliged with a broad smile,” said Satrajit.
He added, “Then, our conversation moved on to competition during his time and now. He was very assertive about his rivalry with
Uttam Kumar, but stressed that they never tried to harm each other in any way. The competition that time was healthy, which only helped one grow professionally. He also said it makes him sad to see many talented people not being allowed to shine by many powerful parties. Soumitrada also reminisced about the fun we had during Michael’s shoot.”
Satrajit then shared how, at the photo shoot, Soumitra showed a trick to the photographer on how to wear a pair of spectacles at a particular angle, so that the reflection doesn’t show on the camera lens.
“What I like about Soumitrada is his energy. It is infectious. To him, age is just a number. While working with him, I have seen how he is always smiling on the sets and he still rehearses a scene before the final shot. While I was shooting for Michael, he was always ready to help me. One thing he told me that I will always remember is that one shouldn’t stop dreaming in life,” said the director.