From playing an IPS officer and a cop in Raktabeej to playing corporate professionals who are also flatmates, co-stars Abir Chatterjee and Mimi Chakraborty have come a long way. We spoke to the actor duo about their latest film Alaap, where they play a romantic pair for the first time, and their onscreen chemistry.

Do you remember when you two met for the first time?

Mimi Chakraborty: That was many years ago!

Abir Chatterjee: I had already worked in a couple of films then. Mimi was working in TV and I knew the team there. I first saw Mimi at a workshop. She was nervous about her new serial, Gaaner Oparey.

What made you both say yes to Alaap?

Mimi Chakraborty: I’m a ’90s kid. Nowadays love starts on WhatsApp and ends on WhatsApp. The innocence of love is lost somehow. There’s no picture of my first ‘alaap’ (meeting) with Abirda because back then, it wasn’t like you just took a selfie. Even if people recognised you, they would come and talk to you. There wasn’t any social media then. Social media has definitely made a lot of things easier but I do miss those old days sometimes. These are the reasons why I said yes to Alaap.

Abir Chatterjee: The first reason I said yes to Alaap is Chakida (director Premendu Bikash Chaki). Secondly, I would be working on a script by Padmanabha Dasgupta after a long time. Also, the fact that I don’t get many offers for romantic films these days. An old school romantic film makes me feel nice.

Premendu Bikash Chaki wanted to make a film with you both together 12 years back…

Abir Chatterjee: I’ve known Chakida for over 20 years, even before I started my television career. He was already popular for his telefilms, often credited as ‘cinematography by P.B. Chaki’. Chakida had planned a film with me and Mimi but it didn’t materialise.

Mimi Chakraborty: I wasn’t aware that this particular script was written 12 years ago. At that time, I was too new. In today’s world dominated by social media, we often overlook the charm of writing letters and the romance they hold. This film explores exactly that.

How has your chemistry on screen evolved over the two films, Raktabeej and Alaap?

Abir Chatterjee: We’ve worked together on many films but were never paired opposite each other until Raktabeej. Our bond goes beyond the screen and we are a family to each other. We have witnessed each other’s journey, and I am very proud of Mimi. In Raktabeej, our characters had different storylines. Alaap is a film where Mimi and I don’t meet frequently, we coexist in the same flat but never cross paths.

Mimi Chakraborty: When it comes to our chemistry, I must say that knowing Abirda for a long time really helped build my character. Being comfortable with your co-star is the key. If people love Aditi and Pablo, then we can only attribute it to our good chemistry.

Your characters in Alaap work in the corporate sector. How did you develop the character traits for your roles?

Abir Chatterjee: I was a corporate employee at the beginning of my career, juggling acting and a job. I understand the nuances. Since things have changed a lot since, I took references from my personal life. All my friends work in the corporate sector, so I know the kind of journey they have, the struggles they endure and the hard work they put in. It was not that tough for me to do the homework. Pablo’s main characteristics are that he is very successful, very smart and at the same time he’s an introvert. He has a very strong family connection. He is kind of settled in his career but has no romantic liaisons and no plans to get married.

I have tried to make Pablo a very soft, confident but confused character who is going through a process of self-realisation. He is a software guy and does night shifts, sits in front of the laptop for quite a long time. I remember in the script Pablo was a smoker, but I was dead against that. I felt I could express Pablo’s emotions without the help of smoking. There’s an interesting scene revolving around a matchbox. I connected with my script writer and director and suggested that we make Pablo a religious person, so he uses a matchbox instead of a cigarette.

Mimi Chakraborty: I found the script quite light. It gave me the freedom to portray Aditi in my own way. She is a clumsy character, which I am not. Aditi is essentially the clumsy version of Mimi!

⁠How was it to work with Premendu Bikash Chaki?

Mimi Chakraborty: I had the opportunity to work with Chakida in Palasher Biye. For this film, I spent a significant amount of time with the script. Chakida’s team is incredibly organised and the work was smooth. After 12 years, when he finally made the film, he cast me despite several modifications to the script. I remained a constant in his vision, which makes this film very special to me.

Abir Chatterjee: Personally, Chakida is a good friend. The same goes for my scriptwriter, Padmanabha Dasgupta. Alaap is my first film with Chakida as the director. I’m thankful to him for offering me the role of Pablo. My idea of romance aligns with what has been portrayed in the film.

What is next for you?

Mimi Chakraborty: I am shooting for Toofan by Raihan Rafi.

Abir Chatterjee: Raj Chakraborty’s Babli is in post-production stage. It is based on Buddhadeb Guha’s novel. This is my first film with Subhashree and I am working with Raj after 10 years. They are planning to release it in August. Deep Fridge by Arjun Dutta is touring various prestigious festivals and I am quite happy about it. I have done a film based on Manik Bandyopadhyay’s novel Putul Nacher Itikatha, directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay. And I have been shooting for Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy’s Bohurupi.