It’s quite impossible to figure out what will be
Subrat Dutta’s next on-screen character. Be it the most prolific art house roles to independent web series, the National School of Drama pass out has accepted playing characters from every genre and in no way wants to get predictable any time soon. His last outing ‘Shobdo Jobdo’ has received rave reviews, his next role will see him play a Kathak guru, and he is even working on directing a play in Mumbai with his NSD peers. In a free-wheeling chat, the seasoned actor talks about his early NSD days, his cinematic priorities and more. Here are the excerpts:
You will be seen as a kathak dancer in your next Bengali film… Yes. When I was 17 I undertook 6 months training in Kathak and I have performed Rabindra nritya in shows for years. Also, ‘T for
Taj Mahal’, ‘Banaras Vanilla’, ‘Josef Born In Grace’ are eyeing for release.
What are the criteria for accepting a role? I have realised that it's better to play significant roles in good cinema rather than small ones in big-budget films. The films I’ve been in, will still be relevant 10 years down the line. People still talk about
Guru Dutt and his body of work, but not about Govinda, who was also terrific. If I wanted to live on even after my death, I will have to do significant, well-written roles
How are you enjoying the digital platform?
A great thing about the webspace is that the characters can really flourish, unlike in some films. My first web series was Powder, then I was in Selection Day. I was playing Ajit in Byomkesh, but I quit because I didn’t have much to do. My next release is
Headquarters Lalbazzar
, it’s a bilingual show.
You will also direct a play in Mumbai… It’s called Husband-in-Law, it’s a comedy, it stars my SD peers, it’s written by Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner
Abhiram Bhadkamkar
. When I work with people from NSD, there’s a certain level of communication we share. Sab milke karte hai, we learn from each other, it’s improvised, we adapt.
How do you manage your work commitments in Mumbai and Kolkata? I can open a courier service and now carry parcels from one place to another. Jokes apart, for work, we have to travel a lot. Even for the Hindi films, I had to go out of Mumbai for the shoot. This is part and parcel of an actor’s life. Whenever I get a good role, I will rush towards it. For that I can go to Delhi, Mumbai anywhere.
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