Entertainment

Bob Biswas struck a chord with the audience: Saswata Chatterjee

by Trans World Features 19 Dec 2017, 09:53 am

A powerhouse in Bengali cinema, Saswata Chatterjee took the nation by storm when he played the cold-blooded contract killer Bob Biswas in Kahaani. He has since landed roles in Bollywood like essaying one in Anurag Basus Ranbir-Katrina starrer Jagga Jasoos. But the actor feels he hasn't quite lived up to the 'Bob mania' in a conversation with IBNS-TWF Correspondent Sudipto Maity

As a person I think I am a very flexible man, others can say better if I’m otherwise. I am a very adjustable man…I am married to the same lady for 17 years, so I can definitely adjust (laughs). Having said that, credit must be given to the other person too (talking about his wife). The kind of profession I’m in, I think she adjusts really well.

I believe I’m a more flexible actor. I don’t want to get tangled in a definite image, I look for varieties.

 

Why did you decide to become an actor?

I don’t know (shrugs). I didn’t have any specific plans. But I can tell you the reasons that drew me close to my profession. As you know, my father was an actor too (Subhendu Chatterjee), very early on I observed that one perk of becoming an actor was you could travel to various locations, discover new places. For us, it becomes a paid holiday. Say for example, I travel to a place for a movie, I stay there and enjoy and the entire expense is on the producer.

 
If not an actor then what?

Believe me, I really don’t know and I didn’t have a plan. I grew up like other kids, going through the motions. One fine day my father asked me “Tui ki korte chas bol to jibone”? (What do you want to do in life) and I automatically replied that I wanted to act. He asked me the reason and explained to him what I told you earlier. He eventually agreed.

 
You keep talking about your father and his role in shaping your life. Tell us a bit about him.

He would allow me to take my own decisions, he never said much. My mother was the one who kept me in check. My father never spoke to me in a raised voice. At home, he was this reserved kind of a man, but while in studio my father would talk a lot with his friends.

  
Do you like comparisons with other actors? What about with your father?

It’s kind of foolish to compare two people. Two actors can never be the same. About comparisons with my father, I have stopped responding now. Earlier, I would get agitated, now I don’t even think about such things. I have no will to defend what people are saying these days and say things in defence to things said about me. It doesn’t interest me anymore.

 
You did Bob Biswas and became this overnight sensation in Bollywood. Post that you have done a few other roles but not with a similar impact. Why do you think this is the case?

I played a much bigger role in Jagga Jasoos, but Bob Biswas struck a chord with the audience because people didn’t witness such an on-screen murderer before.

 
Do you think it was because Bob was this cold-blooded serial killer?

A serial killer should be cold-blooded and remain calm, otherwise you’ll never be able to do your job well. If you can identify a murderer just by looking at that person, then he or she doesn’t deserve to live outside the jail. The kind of portrayal of these roles all these years  on-screen were done amateurishly. You need to lend credibility to a character and to do that, a murderer will have to look like an ordinary person, like you and I. This is what made Bob such a good criminal. Also, I sound like I am lending tips to criminals, but I’m not really doing that (laughs).

 
Are you selective about your roles?

A tad, yes. You are less likely to spot me in a typically commercial movie. I do get such offers but turn them down anyway as I feel it’s equivalent to not doing them. I don’t only work for the money, I also do films that excite me.

 
Do you watch your own movies? What genre of films do you like to watch?

I love to watch my own films. I’m an avid watcher of my own work. A lot of the times, people at home get irritated, they say things like ‘oh he’s watching his films again’ (laughs). On a serious note, I watch my films as reference. While shooting for a film, you give your best shot and no one goes to work thinking they are doing it wrong. But, while watching your performances later, you can scrutinise a lot of things and learn from the mistakes.

What genre of films I watch depends really on the film. I love to watch war movies. I love comedies. I used to love romantic flicks, not much of a fan now. Now, I love to both view and work in travel related movies. Two of the most memorable experiences I have had during my film career is while working in Goutam Ghose’s ‘Abar Aranye’ and Anjan Dutt’s ‘Chalo Let’s Go’. A film that I watch very often is ‘Aranyer Din Ratri’, a true masterpiece by Satyajit Ray.

 
You have been in Feluda, Bomkesh and now you are Shabor (Dasgupta). Rank in order of your preference.

First will always be Feluda. It is what comes first and I think every Bengali kid grows up embracing Feluda. The other two follows.

 

It’s well documented that you didn’t use a cellphone for a good part of this modern century. Have you broken that trend yet?

I still don’t use one. Cellphones don’t excite me. And as for people calling me, I am an actor, not a doctor, so, it’s not like people need me immediately to save their lives. I’m not a panic-stricken man. I love to live my life normally. Emergencies can occur and I don’t see how having a cellphone will alter the inevitable. If I’m to receive bad news, I will anyway.