Saswata Chatterjee is already a well-established name in the Bengali film industry but the actor is also cementing his place in Hindi cinema with his several films and OTT projects. After creating a wave with his portrayal of the serial killer Bob Biswas in Kahaani, the actor is now balancing work in both industries. In a chat with News18.com, Chatterjee shared an anecdote to explain how one film can change someone’s entire life and also talked to us about how the Bengali film industry has evolved.
Chatterjee, who was last seen in the recently released web series Mahabharat Murders also talked to us about the interesting lineup of his upcoming projects. Excerpts from the interview:
Tell us about your latest project, Mahabharat Murders.
Mahabharat Murders is taken from a book where my character, Pobitra Chatterjee, is a CM candidate. It follows a series of murders in Kolkata and from every murder site, my character’s campaign posters can be found. And for the public, Pabitra Chatterjee is similar to Yudhisthir; there isn’t a more honest person than him. So when his campaign posters are found at the murder site, it creates a curiosity in the minds of people. An investigation starts and it is discovered that all the murders have a similarity to the deaths in Mahabharata. Hence, the name of the story is Mahabharat Murders.
Talking of Bengali OTT stories and content, how far do you think it has come?
Bengali cinema and OTT both have improved a lot. We were going through an average phase in between but nowadays people are going to watch Bengali films. OTT, too, is coming up with a diversity of stories. There is only one thing that is missing- comedy. If comedy is missing from life, then it doesn’t feel good. So people are not thinking about too many comedy films or series. I think it would be good if we have that more.
With the popularity of OTT, do you think many talented actors are making their place in the mainstream consciousness?
Yes, definitely. OTT has given people a lot of scope and chance, something that daily serials used to do at one point. A lot of actors came under the limelight after doing mega serials, me being one of them. The more the platforms increase, the chance of work will increase. Different kinds of actors, directors, cameramen and a lot of other artists will get the opportunity to work. And we will also get to see a variety of stories.
In recent times, films like RRR and Pushpa have gained pan-Indian popularity. When do you think we can see the same for Bengali films?
The Bengali film industry has improved a lot in recent times. People are going to the cinema halls to watch Bengali cinema and those films are able to pull crowds. It has also been observed that people have chosen Bengali films over a lot of Hindi films, which they didn’t like. So this is definitely an improvement. We were going through a phase where we weren’t able to produce too many good films so there is no point blaming the audiences.
And the films you mentioned are larger than life films and one needs to watch them on the big screen. If one gets that grandeur from a film, they will obviously watch it.
Talking of Hindi films, how much did Kahaani change things for you?
Let me tell you about an incident. When we were shooting for Kahaani, I went to my makeup van and saw a simple-looking gentleman sitting there. We had never seen each other before but greeted each other. I didn’t get the chance to interact with him much. Then Kahaani was released, and it got good reviews. After that, while shooting for Jagga Jasoos, when I reached the studio, I saw two huge buses standing there. One had ‘Arbaaz Khan’ written on it, and the other one, the man I had met during Kahaani- Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
So, how one film can change someone’s life completely is evident from Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Today, we can hardly think of a film without him. Similarly, Kahaani change my life as well because no one knew me in the Hindi industry. Now, when I get to hear that someone like Naseeruddin Shah enjoyed my Bob Biswas character, I feel proud. And for that, I thank Sujoy Ghosh.
Your recent film Dhaakad failed to create an impact despite being a big production.
No, it did not create an impact. Obviously, it feels bad. It was a big project. It was removed from cinema halls even before I could watch it. Yet it was a big-scale project- from its action to its soundtrack. So it was strange to me as well as to why it didn’t work.
What are the upcoming projects we can see you in?
I have one Hindi film, Bad Boy, where Mithun Da’s (Chakraborty) son Namashi is the hero. I worked with Johnny Lever in that film for the first time and I have never seen such a grounded person like him. He is a simple person off-camera but when he comes in front of the camera, it is hard to keep up with his energy level. I have Project K in the pipeline for which I shot for just a day as the makers have to destroy the set. It was a scene with Deepika Padukone. I don’t know when that film will be complete because it has a huge star cast with Deepika, Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan.
I also did a Hindi series with Pratim Dasgupta and have another Netflix original with Anurag Kashyap with Dobaara. Then I have the Bengali series Mahabharat Murders and another one for ZEE5.
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