Prosenjit Chatterjee in a Calcutta Times Changemakers interview: 'I'm hungry for new experiences'

We meet Prosenjit Chatterjee, Bumbada, at NT 1 studios one day. The Padma Shri awardee steps out of his SUV in white and beige athleisure, nimble on his feet as he makes his way from the floors to the makeup rooms to the decrepit rooms that once housed the stalwarts of Bengali and Indian cinema. A group of TV actors, workers gather around him. There is warmth, genuine admiration as he speaks and listens to them. He shows us around – the places where he began as a young actor, sharing meals, mirrors and cigarettes with colleagues. The room where he did his first dubbing, where first cuts were shown to exhibitors and where an entire town could come up overnight for the hero and the heroine to meet, fall in love and make magic.

In this leisurely conversation with Calcutta Times on its 25th anniversary, ‘the industry’ walked back in time, literally, reflecting on his incredible journey as an actor, what keeps him going and that one creative partner he misses sorely. Excerpts:

More than four decades as an actor across industries, countless awards and honours. How much effort do you put in to ensure that you stay relevant even when the moviemaking landscape keeps changing so frequently?

I don’t think that way. When I started my career, I was just fighting to establish myself and my cinema. Like any beginner, I had to listen to the script, the director, the music. I struggled a lot initially. But after Amar Sangee (1987) – I became a romantic hero. I have always believed that whether you are a star, an actor, or a director, you create for a larger audience. And every few years, the audience changes. Their mindset changes. Their likings change. And I always wanted to stay connected with common people. If you keep yourself away, you won’t know what the world wants. God was kind, as I was right most of the time.

You experimented a fair bit during your commercial era.

Yes, I introduced things people had not seen before.

I used to work on my posters. There was no proper photoshoot poster culture in Bangla cinema before that. Then I started working on Cinemascope and took that risk for my film Purushottam (1992), shooting in Paris and Dubai. If Pratibad changed the way we did action in our cinema, with maturity, I understood I had to learn technology. I went to Prasad Lab (Chennai) years back when CGI came in. I stayed there for three weeks just to understand what they were doing.

Like now, I’m trying to learn AI.

Why is it important for you as an actor to keep evolving?

I never calculate. I never thought that if I did a commercial film and a film like Dosar, it would affect my career. I did Autograph and Moner Manush in the same year. In Autograph, I played a powerful, egoistic character. In Moner Manush, I played Lalon – a completely different soul, sacrificing everything. Two completely different characters. I took that risk. Both gave me box office success and a new audience.

My Maa used to say, “Keep two kinds of people around you. Someone more educated than you, and someone much younger than you, who has no reason to flatter you.” Young people speak from the heart. They will tell you, “This won’t work.”

Which is why most people around me are younger than me. I need the connection.

You started in a very analogue filmmaking era. Now you’re training yourself to understand AI. That’s a massive journey.

Absolutely. Earlier, we had five actors standing together in one room and dubbing. Now you can dub anywhere with a small setup. Same with editing. I am a student of cinema. I am always curious. That’s why I work with new generations. From Srijit (Mukherji) to today’s Chandrasish (Ray) – I have always given myself to young directors. I have that hunger.

A director who hasn’t worked with me before will try to find another Prosenjit inside me. I learned this from Uttam Kumar, from Soumitra Chatterjee. They used to surrender to young directors.

Reinvention is a small word. I want to do characters people haven’t seen. It’s difficult because I’ve done almost everything. Even my younger co-actors say that.

Thoughts on building something for the future?

I want to build something for creative people – students, talented writers – who don’t get a space to show their work. Like an incubation lab. Not only in Bangla.

I’m also working on micro cinema. If I can create 500-800 small theatres – affordable ones – for people without deep pockets, that would be giving back to the industry.

Everything finally comes back to Bangla cinema.

What keeps you going?

It changes. Sometimes I wake up with anger. Then I spend 7-8 hours in the gym and meditate. I’ve learned in the last 10 years that I cannot be angry.

Sometimes I wake up thinking other regional industries are making more noise.

And I miss my friend (Rituparno Ghosh). Someone who could contribute with intellect and vision. Noise with substance. Nobody could dare to talk in front of him. That kind of jodi – my physical strength and his intellect – I miss that.

I want more national work in Bangla. This is the same place – New Theatres – where Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor started. We have the best technicians and talent. That’s one reason I did Khakee. Not just Neeraj (Pandey) – but the presence of Bengal in that show. I feel proud when my actors and technicians are appreciated.

People have deep respect for Bengali cinema, literature and culture.

At the end of the day, sometimes I just pray to my mother: Till my last breath, let me act and entertain people. Give me that strength.

That’s it. Nothing more.

‘Change is constant’

I see change everywhere now – in art, in business, in the way we live. Going out once meant Park Street. Today, every neighbourhood has its own buzz, pubs and restaurants. The suburbs have transformed. Someone is spending that money. Audiences are brand aware. They want the multiplex experience and are willing to spend Rs300 to Rs350 on a ticket. That shift is real. We may not shout about it, but good things are happening,” says Prosenjit Chatterjee as he shares tea and some laughter with the staff at the NT1 Studios in Tollygunge.

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