In all these years Barun Chanda is still remembered for his memorable role as the protagonist Shyamal (Shyamalendu Chatterjee) in Satyajit Ray’s “Simabaddha” released in 1971. His fantastic corporate image had a tremendous influence on the young generation in the ‘70s. Lately he established his impact as a dignified zamindarin his first Hindi film “Lootera”. His polished manners, etiquette, style, articulation and perfect diction, both in English and Bengali evoke an aura . A very accomplished elocutionist, his renderings of “Gitanjali”, are a rich experience that remain unsurpassed . Talking to the ever-smiling, charming adman, actor and author was literally like a story-telling session.
Excerpts....
How did “Simabadhha” happen?
I, of course like many others in Bengal at that time – I was fairly young, 30/31 – wanted to act in a Ray film. I decided that I needed to do something or the other to go and meet him. What I did was that I went up to the editor of The Junior Statesman, India’s first youth magazine if I am not mistaken, around mid-60s, and told him that I wanted to interview Ray. I went across to his place. I thought that if I could have about half-an-hour’s time with him and if I am not been able to impress him, then I wouldn’t be able to blame anyone. Luckily, I think he took a liking to me . I figured out that while I was interviewing him, he was also interviewing me and sizing me up. We were meeting each other regularly. He would ask me to come once in a while. In 1969, just before the Pujas our entire family was off to Rajasthan. I told him so and he asked, “Did you at all read Bengali?” I said, of course, “Bangali, Bangla podbo na?”(I am a Bengali, shouldn’t I read Bangla?) “Do you read Puja specials?” Of course, I replied, “You might like to read up a couple of stories, during the holidays. One was Shankar’s “Simabadhha” and the other was Sunil Ganguly’s “Sada Badi Kalo Rasta”. “Sada Badi…” was never done into a film but he must have considered it because he had asked me to read it. There is a lot of advertising in “Simabadhha” and he would ask me, “how do you make a pitch to a prospective client. How do you get your work sold, done, accepted?” So I told him.
One day he told me, “Barun you are a copywriter. I have an export ad for a particular ceiling fan – I won’t give you the name – Can you do a headline and some text? One of the headlines I had written was “The breeziest export story of the year so and so fan.” He liked that and turned it to an ad! I was quite happy that Ray was asking me and not anybody else. Maybe somewhere in the title there would be a “Kritagyata Shikar” (acknowledgement). . That didn’t happen! What happened was that he called me over one day and said, “Are you doing anything in office?” When I entered the room, Ray said, “Barun you’ve never thought of acting in a film? Have you?” He had asked me this question, exactly this and I also remember my answer, “I never said no. Have I?” After “Simabadhha” I must have got at least 10-12 offers for Bengali films, but all were “run-of-the mills”. That did not appeal to me. Had Ray, or Mrinalbabu or Tapan Sinha or somebody of substance invited me to act in their films I would have certainly considered it.
Any regrets?
Only time I thought I could have changed my mind was for the film “Mohonar Dikey”(1982), a slightly better than the run-of-the-mill. It was a very good meaty role for me and for some personal reasons I said no. When I look back I feel, may be that was one film I could have said yes to because I would have been able to act with Aparna Sen.
But you are still “Oh! Shymalda-Simabadhha’s” Barun Chanda!”
You see you ask the question that why didn’t you act after “Simabadhha”. You would have been the first person to say why did you act in those trashy films after “Simabadhha”? So it works both ways. Now I get good roles once in a while. My part of the dubbing is complete for Tagore’s “Jogajog” by a new Bengali director and I have a different kind of image. I tell myself, how lucky I am! I do one Bengali film and people remember me for that for 40-45 years and I do one Hindi film and people talk about me.
Your next Hindi film…
It’s a film called “Roy”. The story is slightly unconventional by Bombay standards, where I am supposed to be the boss of the hero Ranbir Kapoor. It’s a tight small role because the boss is very seldom seen. The next schedule would be in Malyasia. After “Lootera” nothing happened for the next 7- 8 months. There was not a single phone call from Bombay. And then they started coming from young directors, new directors who had seen “Lootera”.
You are well known for your Bengali adult crime thrillers...
I always loved reading crime thrillers. In Bengali, all the well-known writers, including Ray have written for the adolescents-young people. There is no sex, no woman like the terrific character “Kakababu” who never falls in love. He never has a woman in his life! That’s incredible. I would have loved to act as Kakababu! So I thought that this is one area where Bengali writing is missing in – ‘Adult crime thrillers’.
So what is Barun Chanda?
I oscillate between acting and writing. Acting gives me a kind of hype. Even reading out gives you a temporary hype when people come and hold you by their hand and say that they have moved to tears.
