I would have loved to do Kaushik Ganguly’s character in ‘Drishtikone’: Prosenjit Chatterjee

After a long gap of 14 years, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta came together for ‘Praktan’ in 2016. Now, the two are all set to recreate the magic again, in Kaushik Ganguly’s about-to-release ‘Drishtikone’. While Rituparna’s character Srimati has several layers and shades in it, Prosenjit plays a passionate lawyer who after losing his eyesight, regains it partially. The Tollywood superstar is quite happy to push the envelope for such an interesting role.‘Drishtikone’ will release this Friday. Ahead of that grand release, we caught up with the actor at his place. There was a lot to talk about from films, family, motivation to stardom, future plans and the result was a pure adda with the prolific ‘Bumba Da’, as he is fondly known among the audience. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
There were so many offers after the success of ‘Praktan’, why did you choose ‘Drishtikone’?
Ritu and I have come across a long way. We can’t just do any film today. We have to be choosy and the very moment Kaushik Ganguly shared the script of 'Drishtikone' with me, I knew this is the film we were waiting for. Also, Kaushik told me if anyone can do justice to this script, it’s only you and Rituparna. He is such a great director, who doesn’t give importance to stardom, rather chooses his cast according to the content and that’s the best part I see in KG (Kaushik Ganguly). Both the characters are so interesting. People have always been curious about me and Ritu and I can assure when they will leave the theatre after watching 'Drishtikone', the same magic will amaze them.
Can the viewers relate their personal life to your character Jiyan?
I believe, Jiyan the lawyer lives among everyone we see. The phases Jiyan goes through in his life, I think we all face the same situations often. My character is quite simple, you can actually relate to it. Not only that, love has so many dimensions and we analyze it from our own perspective. But what lies deep inside a relation is quite relatable, only the two persons involved in it can understand the main source of love. Rest you have to understand while watching the movie.
Instead of Jiyan if you would have been offered another role in 'Drishtikone', which one would you have chosen?
I am so excited to play the character Jiyan and I believe the viewers would also love it. But if I had to choose another character, I would have preferred the character Kaushik Ganguly is playing (Kaushik Ganguly will be seen as Rituparna’s brother-in-law).
Any memorable incident from the sets of 'Drishtikone'?
Frankly speaking, the whole shooting part is memorable to me. For instance, portraying a character who has lost his one eye was extremely difficult. I am very happy to successfully enact such an interesting character. Even my doctor told me, it will be a great risk to use such a contact lens that can establish the real feeling among the audience. People have to believe Jiyan’s one eye is damaged. I have done 'Kakababu' earlier where the character had a damaged leg but the eye is the most precious thing in our body.
Can we expect more hits from Prosenjit-Rituparna jodi in the future?
We have already decided to choose films carefully, only after going through the script and if it sounds a great one we would definitely do another film together. But there will be some decent gap. The concept has to be an out of the box one which would attract me and Ritu. We want to hold on to the magic we still have between us. The main idea is to give the audience something new every time we come together.
When will we see Prosenjit Chatterjee as a director?
I am trapped in a tight schedule right now. So many projects are currently underway. But I have it in my mind, (that) I will definitely taste my luck as a director. It can be in Tollywood or even Bollywood. Let’s see how can I manage my schedules! (winks)
Do you have any plans do a horror movie again?
To make a successful horror movie is an extremely difficult task these days. It’s not easy to scare people now. Plus, most of the times the script looks amazing, but a poor execution makes a horror movie quite dull. People would forget them easily. But if the execution is good, then it will go down into history. My father once did a horror movie 'Bees Saal Baad' (1962) and it became a classic. Even today people watch it. It’s not that I won’t do any horror movie. The script has to be good and also the execution has to be perfect to attract the viewers.
Who is your best critic - the viewers, your wife or Prosenjit Chatterjee himself?
I believe my biggest critic is me only. Throughout my career, I have criticized my every single step and I am open to any criticism. That’s why I am still an important part of this film industry even today. People have also loved me over the years; they have stood beside me throughout my journey.
We have seen you in 'Mayurakshi' as Aryanil, Jiyan in 'Drishtikone', another challenging character in upcoming 'Kishore Kumar Junior'. What’s your success mantra in portraying so many different characters with different layers?
Actually, these out of the box characters motivate me to take the challenge. It’s always a great feeling to play such characters. I have done so many films, but now I live for these interesting characters. It brings out the best from me. Every morning I wake up and start thinking about the character I am playing, eagerly await when I will reach the sets and go under the skin of my character. My motivation comes from these challenging works.