Raj Chakraborty’s December 20 film Shontaan is expected to be a family entertainer with a strong social message. Equipped with impressive star power, Mithun Chakraborty, who spearheads the cast of the film, spoke to t2 on his experiences while enacting his role as an ageing father, his take on the film, and much more. Excerpts.

As a real-life dad to grown-up children, how did you connect with your character? Could you in any way channel your real-life relationships or experiences into your performance?

The story is about a family; about a son’s relationship to his parents, his behaviour and what it reflects about this generation and the time in which we live. The film is called Shontaan (offspring). I too was a shontaan once. I remember the kind of relationship I had with my father. Rather than approaching the role from the angle of what sort of father I am, I connected to it keeping my father in mind. But that was only for a part of the film.

A bit observant by nature, I always keep an eye out for people’s walking and talking styles, their mannerisms and try to understand why they are behaving in a particular way. When the father decides to revolt against the son, I have tried to make use of these observations to help me enact the character.

When I was a kid, I would be scolded or even get beaten by my father if I did anything wrong. But I always knew that my parents had my best interests in mind, so I accepted my punishment quietly. But times have changed now. When you watch Shontaan, you might relate to how the son behaves to some extent, but you will also be shocked. You will be provoked to think as to why he is acting the way he does.

Share with us your perspective on your character and how you went about portraying the complex father-son relationship central to the film.

Though I have played many characters as a father in recent times, I am sure you have noticed that they are all very diverse kinds of people and I have tried to portray each one differently. As I have told you already, I projected my father as a reference for this role. I tried to think how he was as a father. The affection he had for me is reflected in the way I treat my son in Shontaan. But in this film, there comes a time when the father cannot take the hurt inflicted by his son anymore. It is from this point that I started developing the character on my own. I asked myself what I would have done in a similar situation. So from being a real-life son who never revolted, I became a screen father who revolts against his son. How an ordinary father changes completely to become a different person has also been shown in a very interesting way, which I am sure you will like once you watch it.

What do you think is the most important message that audiences will take away from Shontaan?

Firstly, they will feel a little scared to think that a father-son relationship can take such a drastic turn. From this, they will learn to be a little careful and understand that while their love for their child should be unconditional, excessive love can have harmful consequences and even lead to death when parents are unable to bear the agony caused to them by their children. Raj’s (Chakraborty) direction has brought out this pain in such a moving way. Full credit to him, the screenplay writer and the dialogue writer for handling this difficult and delicate subject so well. The film will make viewers regret it if they have ever spoken harshly to their parents and will teach them never to inflict emotional hurt on them again.

This is the first time you are collaborating with Raj Chakraborty in a film. How would you rate him for his work? How much did Shontaan’s emotionally charged storytelling impact your performance?

Raj is very cool and calm. I have not seen him get irritated at any time during shoots. Most important, he has a very clear idea about what he is making. He knows where he has started the story and exactly at what point he wants it to end. Let me repeat it, that it was not an easy story to tell.

As for my performance, Raj would only tell me what sort of emotions he wanted any scene or moment to convey, and leave it at that. And since the understanding between us is crystal clear, I caught his words very quickly and God willing, I have been able to transfer the same emotions on screen just the way he wanted.

In the last few years, the characters you have played have been that of a father. How was this role different from the rest?

Each role has been unique. In Projapoti, the father was initially shown to be a very jovial fellow, but then he changes. In Kabuliwala, the subject and hence the treatment was completely different. This is a very different film. My character in Shontaan has an element of romance (like Projapoti), but here, the romance is purely with his wife. Though they have grown old, the tremendous love between the elderly couple in Shontaan has been depicted beautifully. The emotional side of the character has also been handled in a very original way, because he ultimately decides to punish the son that he loves so much. And it has been done so convincingly, that when you watch the film, you are bound to think that he has done the right thing.

You mentioned about a romance between the husband and wife. What was your chemistry with Anashua Majumdar like? Also, share with us your experience of working alongside Ritwick Chakraborty.

I worked with her many, many years ago in Tahader Katha (1992) and have known her since then. So we were perfectly at ease and it was such a pleasure to share screen space with her again. And of course, she is an excellent actress and has performed incredibly well in this film.

As for Ritwick, he is a fabulous actor. Most of my scenes with Ritwick were very intense, yet they all look so effortless. I enjoyed working with him immensely. In fact, everybody performed very well in this film. Each one deserves to be praised.

With massy action movies ruling the screens, do films like Shontaan cater to a niche audience?

It is true that the audience has developed a taste for stories with action and violence. However, I think that the time has come when people need to watch meaningful films. However, it’s okay to watch one or two action flicks for your entertainment. In fact I have also done such a film lately called Baap (in Hindi), with Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt. But films with a definite message are the need of the hour. Shontaan is one such film, but I can tell you that though it comes with a social message, you will enjoy watching it as well.