When it comes to picking his projects, Parambrata Chattopadhyay has a thumb rule and it seems to be working fine for him. Basking in the success of several Hindi web series and of being Feluda in Arindam Sil’s Gangtok-e Gondogol, the actor-turned-director who celebrated his 42nd birthday on June 27 talked to us about his latest theatrical release Shibpur, how he chooses his acting assignments and his take on the industry as a filmmaker.

You turned 42 this week. How did you spend the day?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: I had a working birthday this year.

Any fond memories of your birthday from your childhood?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: I have so many beautiful memories. It would rain on my birthday every year. It was always a special occasion when I was young. There would be a small get-together at home. My relatives and my parents’ friends would come over. The party would go on till very late with my parents’ friends. I was completely allowed to hang around till whatever time the party went on.

Your new film, Shibpur, is based on true events that took place in the area in the 1980s. You play the character of IPS Sultan Ahmed. What made you come on board for the project?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: We usually don’t get to see such a hard-hitting crime drama in Bengal. This is a sort of film that nobody really makes in Bengal. We do see the genre being explored in Hindi and in other languages. It is a great change of taste and that is the reason why I wanted to be a part of it. Also, now as an actor, the idea is to be a part of films that are rare to get.

How are you handling the success of being Feluda in Arindam Sil’s web series Shabash Feluda: Gangtok-e Gondogol?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: It happened recently and there was a lot of feuding on social media, both bad and good simultaneously. The fact remains that Shabash Feluda has garnered an incredible amount of love from the audience. We, at the end of the day, are pleased.

What challenges you as an actor?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: Coming out of my comfort zone challenges me. Either I need to be very badly challenged out of my comfort zone, or it has to be something very easy that I can do with my eyes closed. In recent times, if I look back at something that has really challenged my comfort zone, it would be Jehanabad and Mumbai Diaries Season 2, which is yet to come out.

Today I look at a project in two ways — one, it has to make sense to me as a film or a subject that will ring a bell with the audience. I don’t mind doing a role even if the role offered to me is not really something that I haven’t done before.

If a film is not exciting or out of the box but I feel it is going with the pulse of the audience or the current expectations of the audience, I go forward with it. At times when I understand that this is not the kind of subject that people are looking for right now or want to go for, then the part offered to me has to be very exciting, challenging and very out of the box. So, if the role is in the box, then it better be very in the box. And if it is out of the box, then it should really be out of the box. There’s no midway, which is challenging and at the same time pleasing to the audience.

Have there been any films that made you feel ‘I wish I could do that’?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: There have been so many! There are so many successful films that I am not a part of, especially in recent times. I always feel like ‘oho, oita ami korle ki bhalo hoto!’ (I so wish I could do that). At the same time, I feel that destiny takes a film to where it belongs.

You never wanted to be an actor. You always wanted to be a filmmaker...

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: I have not yet fulfilled my wish. I want to make more films. For instance, in the last few movies that I have made as a director, I feel Abhijaan deserved more success than it got. It did some good numbers at the box office and received quite a few awards, but overall the outreach was not as much as it should have got. Also, Boudi Canteen was released during Durga Puja, which wasn’t the best time for it. The box office numbers weren’t great but the film did wonderfully well on OTT. I would certainly make some more films.

With the success of Bulbbul, Aranyak and Jehanabad, are you being a little selective in choosing your Hindi projects?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: With the couple of things that I have done recently in Bombay, I have said no to quite a few projects. Either because I felt they weren’t the kind of thing I was looking for or things where the screen time was not up to my liking.

My picking up of projects is very impulsive, I don’t think much. It depends on various other factors, like what do I want to do? Do I have time? Is it worth it? Am I in need of money? How much money are they paying? (Laughs out loud) It is true for most of us.

The first thing that I try to evaluate is how much substance does the character have. It does not only depend on the number of minutes I am on screen but also on the relevance, the value and the take-home factor of the character. When I finish the film, how much of the character would I retain? That is what stays with me.

You are working both in the Bengali and Hindi film industries. What do you feel is the difference except the budget?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: The budget is the difference. The budget dictates a lot of things. The budget dictates how much care you put into the film. The budget dictates how much time we are getting to make a film. The budget also dictates how much we are able to reach out to the audience. You need money to reach out and convince more people because they have got so many options available. If you don’t put a decent production value in the film, you won’t have many viewers. And you need a better budget for a decent production value, and for the budget to happen you need more people to come in and watch the film. It is like a loop. The loop is not linear.

There are exceptions like Ardhangini, which has been made on a shoestring budget but has done very well at the box office. Even my film Sonar Pahar, which was a very low-budget film, had done well. In general, you need more money to get more people in the theatre. You need more people to fill the theatre so that you can make the next film with more money!

How much does the democratisation of content and players in the creative space make it favourable for you to work on projects in Mumbai now?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: The volume of content that is being created makes it very clear that you need actors to deliver and you can’t bank on stars only. I think that makes it more favourable or conducive for actors of other languages. Having said that, I think the Indian OTT space is still governed by the star system. People do want stars to be presented, to grab immediate eyeballs despite the fact that there has been so much good stuff coming out of the Indian OTT space where there are absolutely no stars. I think the primary approach or tendency is to go for the stars to get immediate eyeballs.

As a filmmaker, what changes do you see in Bengali cinema?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: The concern right now is more about the audience and how it is changing. I see the audience settling for very middle-of-the-road things and nothing too adventurous. It has definitely been because of the pandemic and loss of livelihoods, crunch in money and people wanting to bet on safe options.

What is next for you?

Parambrata Chattopadhyay: Bibaho Bibhrat, directed by Raja Chanda, starring Abir Chatterjee, Lahoma Bhattacharya and myself, is releasing on July 14.