Soumitra Chatterjee is shooting for Sunya Anka ( Act Zero ), the latest venture directed by Goutam Ghose at a suburban studio of Kolkata. He received the news of his winning the coveted Dada Saheb Phalke Award not long ago . He is happy and content but does not consider himself to be on top of the world.
Sipping a cup of tea, the septuagenarian actor says, “At 77 years, I cannot rejoice like a child after winning this prestigious award. I am pleased and feel that I have been given my due as an actor. I dedicate this award to my mentor, late Ray. I also remember stalwarts of Bengali cinema like Chabi Biswas, Tapan Sinha, Tulsi Chakrabarty with whom I worked. Alas they are no more and I cannot share my glory with them.”
Speaking about his character in Sunya Anka the iconic actor says, “I perform the character of a scientist who stays at Manali. He is totally involved in his scientific activities and is also in love with nature. I have earlier worked very successfully with Goutam Ghose in Dekha and Abar Aranye . He is in total command of his script and knows to handle his actors well. Konkona Sen Sharma and Priyanshu Chatterjee are my co-stars in the film.”
No other actor is as active as Chatterjee is at his age. He explains, “I am also performing ‘King’ Lear on stage and it is a challenge for me to act in a Shakespearean drama directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay. Acting in a play is far more difficult than performing in a film.”
Does he remember his senior Uttam Kumar? There is a smile on his face as he says, “I remember Uttam da every day. I knew him even before he joined films. We were very close and he was never my rival. In the scene in Aparichito where he presses my neck with his palms and attempts to murder me, I rendered a helpless look and asked if he wanted to kill me. He reacted equally well with a twitch of his eyebrow and publicly complimented me for my performance.”
Suchitra Sen, Arundhuti Sinha, Sabitri Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Sharmila Tagore — Soumitra Chatterjee has acted with each of these stalwarts with resounding success. He says, “I never believe in comparing the abilities of my heroines. Each was unique in her own way. Sabitri Chatterjee is the greatest actress I have ever worked with. Arundhuti Sinha combined dignity with effortlessness and intensity very well. In a close-up of Khudito Pashan , she looked questioningly into my eyes and conveyed an emotion in one take effectively. It was a challenge to react to her expressions.”
Chatterjee explains, “Dada Saheb Phalke Award above all politics. I genuinely feel Balraj Sahni and Naseeruddin Shah deserved it much earlier. I will carry on acting as long as I can and experimenting with all creative mediums like cinema, stage, television and recitations.”
His association with Satyajit Ray ranges from Apur Sansar to Shakha Prasakha . Was not his scene of banging the table at dinnertime a copy of Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot ? He pauses for a while and answers with confidence, “Manik da would have never allowed a lift from any other film and never encouraged his actors to copy others. He was original and believed his entire team should follow originality at work. Yes, Daniel Day Lewis was superb in My Left Foot .”
REFLECTIONS ON GLORY
Film personalitieson Soumitra Chatterjee
Naseeruddin Shah
I consider Soumitra Chatterjee a trend-setter in acting along with Pahari Sanyal, Motilal and Dilip Kumar. He is a naturally gifted actor who has amazing ability to adapt to various characters and working styles of directors. The Soumitra Chatterjee of Apur Sansar , Teen Kanya and Charulata is simply unforgettable.
Shyam Benegal
Soumitra Chatterjee was to have worked with me in Kalyug . Since he was not well, I missed the rare opportunity of directing him. He is the real director’s actor. Be it in parallel, middle or mainstream cinema, he has left his originality and mark as an actor. His eyes are his assets and he can convey volumes in a single expression.
Madabhi Mukherjee
I worked with Soumitra Chatterjee in two films directed by Satyajit Ray, Kapurush O Mahapurush and Charulata . He has the rare ability to mingle emotions with reason. In the climax of Kapurush when we come across each other at the railway station, his look of frustration was touching.
