Three decades after Satyajit Ray, his glorious discovery Soumitra Chatterjee has been honoured with Legion D’ Honour by the French Government. As Goutam Ghose rightly says, “It is a worldwide accolade for the versatile actor who is an asset to Indian cinema.” The French Ambassador to India will hand the award soon to Soumitra Chatterjee.
Naseeruddin Shah considers Soumitra Chatterjee a trend setter in acting. From “Apu Sansar” to the latest “Posto”, the actor has performed a wide variety of characters with rare conviction and finesse. His questioning expressions, inimitable dialogue delivery and normal body language make him the true director’s actor. “Devi”, “Akash Kusum”, “Jhinder Bandi” and “Koni” stand testimony of Soumitra Chatterjee’s acting abilities. Happy but certainly not overwhelmed, Soumitra Chatterjee is how the actor expressed himself at being honoured.
Your feelings after receiving the Legion D’ Honour
I am content as an actor. It is a special award which is an honour for me. I was always fascinated by classic French literature, cinema, art and culture. The French neo wave started in the 60s by the likes of Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol and Mal is a glorious chapter in the history of international cinema. Today I specially remember Satyajit Ray, my mentor. Manikda (Satyajit Ray) won the same award three decades ago. If alive, he would have been the happiest.
Besides Satyajit Ray, you worked equally well with other directors
Certainly. Mrinalda (Mrinal Sen), Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar, Ajay Kar and Bijay Bose worked to extract the best from me. So did Sandip Ray, Goutam Ghose, Aparna Sen and Rituparno Ghosh. These celebrated directors from Bengal understood the value of ideal scripts. They never went overboard whilst shooting. Besides each of them know perfectly how to handle actors. I am very grateful to each of my illustrious directors for contributing in my journey as an actor.
Tell us about your association with Uttam Kumar
Uttamda and I were never rivals. We enjoyed clean healthy competition. We had deep silent regard for each other. Uttamda’s smile still haunts me. Be it in a serious film like “Jatugriha”, a suspense thriller like “Chidiakhana” or a comedy like Chirakumar Sabha, Uttamda was peerless. We acted in six films together. Never did one try to overshadow the other.
Your idols in Hindi cinema...
I am an ardent admirer of Bahaj Sahni. He is an actor’s actor. Earlier performances of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in films like “Devdas” and “Jagte Raho” are some of the truly memorable ones. Naseeruddin Shah is a brilliant, versatile actor. I have performed opposite Waheeda Rehman and Tanuja in Bengali films. Both are excellent actresses and good looking. Waheeda Rehman is an accomplished dancer too.
Please narrate your cinematic journey
It is very difficult to narrate my cinematic journey in a few words. I have never shied away from experimenting with multiple characters. Never did I opt for any particular style. My heroines include the truly gifted Sabitri Chatterjee, Supriya Chowdhury, Madhabi Mukherjee and Sharmila Tagore. I always believed in following the language of cinema whilst performing in front of the camera. Natural acting is what I have done on screen, stage and television.
