EXCLUSIVE | Parambrata Chatterjee on Bollywood: ‘I will lap it up if John Abraham’s role in Pathaan is offered to me’

Parambrata Chatterjee is seen playing a Naxal leader in the Sony LIV web-series ‘Jehanabad‘. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost’s Lachmi Deb Roy, he says the role that he plays is very similar to his real character.  Coming from a Bengali family, he believes that irrespective of whether you would be in support of politics or not, every household would have some story of the 70s that have been handed down as urban legend or as folklore. On being Ritwik Ghatak’s grandnephew, he believes that there was not much expectation from him when he started off as an actor because, Ghatak unlike Satyajit Ray was not a celebrated filmmaker.  He says that with the digital platform coming in, different kinds of sensibilities are getting opportunities to explore content, which is closer to their sensibilities.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

What attracted you to the role in your recently released we series Jehanabad?

What attracted me to Jehanabad was the fact that although in terms of screen time, some other characters have more of it than my part, but every time this character appears on screen in in every episode it’s like a sort of a lightning striking. There is something that is very striking about this character, and it is it is around this particular person’s activities, that the whole narrative sort of revolves. Another thing that attracted me was the backdrop against which shows that ‘Jehanabad’ is a love story and on the other hand it is an intense social drama that unfolds. It shows class struggle. The backdrop is that of left politics. I come from Bengal so I could relate to it.

Since you are also from Bengal, you will understand that irrespective of whether you would be in support of politics or not, every household would have some story of the 70s that have been handed down as urban legend or as folklore. I am a politically and socially aware person. So I’ve had my share of stories and learnings and readings while I was growing up, and to do something that you don’t get to work in a fiction piece, which deals with this kind of a political backdrop of everyday life was exciting for me.

How much do you relate to your character of Deepak Kumar in Jehanabad ?

Deepak Kumar, the character that I play, I feel a part of him is like me. He is an aware person, he has been to good universities, and he is someone who can talk about international politics, Indian economy and about Greek philosophy too. But there is a part of Deepak’s character which is very different from mine. I come from a Bengali middle class family background whereas Deepak Kumar comes from a low caste Bihari background where he’s grown up seeing a lot of injustice being committed towards his community and his people. There is one part which is very similar to my character and one part that isn’t. I tried to delve deep into the mind of Deepak Kumar.

You are a known actor in the Bengali film industry. Tell us about your journey in the entertainment industry and being the grandnephew of the noted filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, were there any expectations from you in the industry?

No, the thing is, unlike Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak got his accolades much after his death. Ray is sort of celebrated as you know, as a combination of populism as well as sensible cinema. Ritwik Ghatak on the other hand has always been a rebellious bit of a radical, right so, he is less popular, if I may be very blunt about he is less popularly received than Ray. Also Ghatak was a troubled personality, his life wasn’t as smooth and clean as Ray.

So nobody really expected anything out of me and most importantly a lot of people didn’t know for a very long time that I was Ghatak’s grandnephew which was sort of an advantage to me. And now, after having completed more than two decades in the film industry, I think that I am incredibly proud and incredibly fond of my lineage. And that has really helped me I am very much in touch with my extended family, and I learn from them. But I have never really tried to live up to any expectations because there weren’t any in the first place. But there are certain ideas that I think I derive from my family which flows in my veins. I grew up in the extended family, and a family which always spoke about either music, literature, culture, or politics, all of that has made me who I am today, but that’s more at a subconscious level.

How is the working style in the Bengali film industry different from Bollywood?

I think the difference which lies in the fact that, you know, in Bombay, people are working for the ticket size, the market size of that is much bigger, but the stakes are higher, I think so there is a certain zeal to cater to that market. Whereas in Bengal, I think you know, that no matter what you do because your market size is still much smaller. So you’re catering to that and added to that in Mumbai, people from all over the country work. They are, they’re all outsiders. So they are always to prove their mettle.

In the Kolkata film industry, they are all from the same place. So they have that quintessential Bengali lethargy which is very evident in their working style. In Kolkata, things are at a bit of a relaxed pace. In Mumbai on the other hand, it’s a lot more aggressive that way, because everybody’s trying to prove their point.

What do you have to say about roles changing with the digital platform?

It’s a great time for actors, creators and for directors. The content is different; the script is different. I think people with different kinds of sensibilities are getting opportunities to explore content, which is closer to their sensibilities. I myself is an example of that which is a great thing to happen.

OTT doesn’t box you with hero, heroine, do you agree with that?

In a country like ours, a hero figure will always be there. I mean, if you go out on the street when you’re shooting, and there’s a crew of 100 people, for the crowd the first question will be who is the hero and who is the heroine? So our culture revolves around central epithermal figures, eponymous figures who we loosely call heroes and heroines. That will always be there. But at least a certain section of people are being sensitized to different kinds of heroes, heroes who defy the idea of heroism, at least that much is happening.

What’s your take on the evolution of cinema?

The Pathaan effect is still there, the experience of going to a movie theatre and watching a cinema will always be there. But a movie for theatre should be such that it is worth your money and most importantly worth your time and journey to the theatre. But the habit of watching more intense stuff in your living room, on your smart television is also a parallel force which has evolved and a force to reckon with. So, that is the evolution of cinema that has happened in the last few years.

Is it the best time to be an actor?

I think it’s the best time to be a creator, in general on the audiovisual medium. Whether you’re a director, whether you’re an actor, but because I think it is also making you work for OTT also makes a director and a producer, it kind of works as a leveler. Because there is no space for indulgence. I mean, it’s not always just this formula that you have six people telling you no, this doesn’t work that works. None of us know  what works. But at least this practice of being leveled and coming out of your little indulgent slumber is also a practice that is a necessity practice, I feel.

What do you have to say about the scripts changing?

I think it’s become a little more scientific. I mean, when I interact with writers now, you hear terms, which actually come from the world of serious writing, as opposed to the earlier kind of writing. Now it’s more about character arcs. It’s more about structure and following a certain thing even when you are trying to break out of that structure, you are having to know that structure. So that has led to a more scientific approach towards writing which is fantastic I think.

Do you want to ever do a typical Bollywood film?

Totally, I will lap it up if something like John Abraham’s role in Pathaan is offered to me.

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