With a career spanning almost two decades, Parambrata Chattopadhyay is a prominent name not only in the Bengali film industry but also in the world. Bollywood. When he debuted, Parambrata broke into the hearts of the audience with his captivating portrayal of Topshe, the side-kick of Bengali detective Feluda in Bombere Bombatee. The versatile artist who has turned 40 since then has come a long way.
Talking about completing 20 years in the film industry, he said, “When I started in 2001, I was leading a different life. After that, I switched from television to films, but at the same time, I also wanted to spend some time in training myself. I applied for a scholarship and left for my masters. After I came back, it was a different journey altogether. I did many industries like Bengali and Hindi. I balanced a lot of things like acting, directing, producing and working. So I feel like I’ve lived many lives and many careers. It spread in different ways, and it was quite a journey.”
However, donning multiple hats was never easy. His debut as a director was with Jio Kaka (2011).
Explaining how he manages the overlap between his role as a director and an actor, he says, “The overlap usually happens in two ways. One, in terms of occasions, when I have to give up one thing for another. The other kind of overlap when I’m working as an actor is in terms of creative differences on set. As a director, I have a certain vision in my mind, and whenever I read a script, I create my own visualizations that sometimes don’t align with the director’s vision. However, with time, I have learned to handle it. Before we start filming a film, we have several rounds of discussions. The differences are sorted out so that I can work only as an actor and follow the director’s vision.”
The actor-director, who also commands a lucrative presence on OTT platforms, has the best of both worlds with his recent releases such as Bengali film Tangra Blues and ZEE5 web series Black Widow. On the strength of digital, he commented, “With the rise in OTT platforms, we have got an opportunity to work with a wide variety of things, think about different types of audiences and explore mature content, which some people have. It was impossible too. Many years ago. From sixteen to sixty five – we have come up with new faces, new talents and new voices. We have been able to harness these talents, and that is the best thing this platform has brought to the modern world.”
Parambrata has acted in many successful films including Baishe Sarabo, Bhootar Bhabishyat, Hemlock Society, Apur Panchali, Kadambari and more. When asked what has been his most challenging role till date, he replied, “People often think that characters that are close to your personality are easier to play, and those who are different from you, for example, The characters I played in Hercules. , Kaler Rakhal or Chhotushkon were challenging because they were not really me. However, that’s not quite how it works. The characters who are similar to me in terms of behavior and everything else are the ones where I need to capture the finer nuances that are different from me as a person. From that time onwards, my personal favorites would be my performances in Dwitio Purush and Bulbul.”
His stardom is not limited to just the Bengali film industry, as he has made noise in Bollywood with productions like Kahaani, Pari and Bulbul, and has also starred in a Bangladeshi film, Bhuban Manjhi.
When asked about the barriers faced by Bengali actors trying to work in industries, he said, “I am one of those Bengali actors who are working in Hindi film industry and I am very fortunate that I have got access to all industries. have to work in. There may be constraints in terms of delivery and audience perception but as an actor, if you have a certain grip on your craft, it doesn’t matter where you are coming from. There may be a tendency to limit you to a few roles initially, depending on where you are coming from, but to some extent, we have been able to break down that barrier.”
Elaborating further, he added, “Suppose you are making a film in Hindi and the story is based in Kolkata and has Bengali characters, then the producers will look for someone who has a national presence but with It can also bring Bengali nuance into character. This diversity should not be a problem, it should be celebrated. Having said that, people often assume that whatever content is being produced in Hindi is ‘national’. and the rest are ‘regional’. I do not believe in this demarcation.”
Parambrata, along with two of his associates, heads a production house of Roadshow Films, which attempts to maintain ordinary stories about ordinary life, but with a unique bent. Acknowledging the diverse content produced by the Bengali film industry in recent times, he also shared his insights on how the industry can improve.
“Primarily, we need to improve ticket sales, by which I mean the size of the market. We will always remain a small scale industry until it improves. We need to come up with a model that will cater to NRI Bengalis, people living in Bangladesh and we all need to work together. This is the only way we can increase the size of the market. Besides, these last few years have brought forth diverse and different types of work, which is a wonderful thing.”
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