A nonchalant assassin, a tough cop, a troubled filmmaker, a golden-hearted ghost — you name a character and Saswata Chatterjee has played it. On Saswata’s 52nd birthday, we pick six of his most memorable film performances during a career spanning two-and-a-half decades.
Anupam Ghatak in Rang Milanti (2011)
Although Ridhima Ghosh’s Kamalika is the protagonist of this romantic comedy, it is Saswata Chatterjee as her brother-in-law Deepjoy who steals the show. A voice-artist by profession, Deepjoy pretends to be a relationship counsellor named Dr Anughatak and helps Kamalika decide who among her four friends is fit to be her life partner. Saswata effortlessly switches between the two personas, delivering witty lines with the maturity of a seasoned actor. A good blend of comedy and drama, his antics as Dr Anughatak in Kaushik Ganguly’s Rang Milanti would have you in splits.
Watch it on: Hoichoi
Bob Biswas in Kahaani (2012)
‘Nomoshkar… Ek Minute’ — these words are enough to send shivers down our spine thanks to Saswata’s chilling portrayal of a cold-blooded contract killer in Kahaani. A nondescript life-insurance agent, Bob Biswas moonlights as a hired assassin in Sujoy Ghosh’s pacy thriller set in Kolkata. Saswata easily slips into the shoes of the killer who in his daily life is a mild-mannered Bengali, an average Joe you’d miss in a crowd. Saswata’s eight-odd-minute screen appearance made him stand out in the ensemble cast that included Vidya Balan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
Watch it on: Disney+ Hotstar
Animesh Dutta in Proloy (2013)
Saswata Chatterjee plays Animesh Dutta, a no-nonsense cop, in Raj Chakrabarty’s Proloy. Tasked with dealing with criminals with an iron fist, Saswata adds flair to this character. He makes an entry into the village of Dukhia after Barun Biswas (Parambrata Chattopadhyay), a social worker, is brutally killed for protesting against crimes against women. While Animesh tries to bring the situation under control, the criminals accused of Barun’s murder are mysteriously found dead. Saswata’s quirky one-liners and eccentric mannerism earned him cheers and claps from the audience in theatres.
Watch it on: Hoichoi
Nilkantha Bagchi in Meghe Dhaka Tara (2013)
Based on the life of legendary Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, Kamaleshwar Mukherjee’s Meghe Dhaka Tara is easily one of Saswata’s best performances to date. He breathes life into the character of non-conformist filmmaker Nilkantha Bagchi, who has a fondness for the bottle. Saswata’s portrayal of the passionate filmmaker is a masterclass in itself as he meticulously brings out the eccentricities of Bagchi’s persona, the insecurities of his troubled mind and the flames of anger burning within the auteur’s soul.
Watch it on: Hoichoi
Shabor Dasgupta in Ebar Shabor (2015)
Saswata’s Shabor Dasgupta, a detective working in Lalbazar, is a breath of fresh air with his matter-of-fact approach amid a crowd of private investigators like Feluda and Byomkesh. Based on a novel written by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, director Arindam Sil delivered a sleek murder mystery with Ebar Shabor. Saswata, who had appeared as both Feluda and Byomkesh’s sidekick in the past, easily impressed the viewers with his gritty performance, no-nonsense attitude and wit. He reprised the role in other films of the series — Eagoler Chokh (2016), Aschhe Abar Shabor (2018) and Tirandaj Shabor (2022).
Watch it on: Hoichoi
Tutti Futti in Jagga Jasoos (2017)
In Anurag Basu's much-acclaimed musical adventure Jagga Jasoos, Saswata essays the role of Tutti Futti, the adoptive father-cum-mentor of Jagga (Ranbir Kapoor). After enrolling Jagga in a boarding school, he mysteriously disappears. Jagga’s quest to locate his missing guardian takes him on an adventure like no other. With only a handful of dialogues, Saswata lets his eyes do the talking in Jagga Jasoos. Tutti Futti and Jagga’s rapport forms the soul of the movie.
