The brain behind Jeet’s much-loved Chengiz poster is a 26-year-old man from Konnagar who saw legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray as his “invisible pathfinder". Meet Chengiz poster designer Rhiddhiraj Palit who shot to fame through his Facebook page Bong Dude before making it big in Tollywood.
How did you ideate the design for Chengiz poster?
Gourav-da (Gourav Ghosh) and Maharaj-da (Maharaj Dutt) of Anonymous Digital Agency gave me the responsibility for the Chengiz poster. I was given a short rundown of the plot and of what Jeet’s character was like in the film. I made a few concept designs of my own featuring Jeet. You can see the ones that finally did get approved everywhere now. His limitless swag was the most important part of the poster. If you observe the first poster of Chengiz, the poster of Amitabh Bachchan's Don is visible in the background, indicating the timeline of Chengiz’s story and character.
Tell us about your journey from an audience member to a creator. What has changed since your big break in Tollywood?
The Doordarshan-watching kid in me saw Dev, Jeet and Mithun’s movies, and wanted to work on them. But living in a small town, it was difficult to fulfil that dream. I read how Satyajit Ray worked on designs for films, illustrated, and even made posters for his own films. He became my invisible pathfinder. I learnt graphic designing and much more. I began posting some of my works under the alias Bong Dude on Facebook and YouTube. My works, like Tintin In Kolkata fan art (2016) became viral. Soon SVF and Hoichoi noticed me and called me up to be a part of their team.
Did you learn your skills in a classroom or did you learn on the job? What would be your success mantra for aspiring designers?
With the support of my family, friends and teachers, I learnt various designing methods in the classroom itself. I have to constantly upgrade my skills and I love doing that. When people ask me to guide them, I tell them to love what they do. One day, brands, companies and the world itself will come seeking you.
Your work on Ballabhpurer Roopkotha was unique. What went into creating them? How did Anirban and the cast react to your work?
I was simply supposed to work on various storyboards for Ballabhpur. After I was done, Anirban-babu (Anirban Bhattacharya) called me home and made me listen to a song. He asked me to draw visuals for that song. I was a little worried because it was a tribute to the theatre legend Badal Sircar and Anirban babu’s brief was very important. I wanted to do justice to the work. After the release I received several messages about my work, particularly about the opening song, for which most of the credit goes to Anirban-babu and his music team. After it was all done Anirban-babu texted me, "তোমার কাজ টা বিশ্বমানের হয়েছে! (Your work is at par with the world)”. I hope he didn’t say it trivially.
What was the inspiration behind Bong Dude? Now that you're working in Tollywood, what will be the future of Bong Dude?
My pseudonym is Bong Dude, just like Lalmohan Ganguly’s pseudonym is Jatayu. As a camera-shy person, that banner became my online identity. I have received more love and memories than I could ever ask for. Right now, I want to get over some of my camera phobia. With a completely new branding and absolutely new content, Bong Dude hopes to be back very soon.
What’s your next project going to be? And what do you aspire to achieve in the long run?
Right now, I am working on a project for a client abroad. I’ll definitely work on more interesting projects if I get them. This year, I’ve also started returning to working on my own ideas to be better at what I do for the industry. However, no matter what I do, the common subject will be Cinema.
