He is geared up for a slew of film releases nationally but Saswata Chatterjee is as excited about Raj Chakraborty’s web series Abar Proloy, where he returns to his role of fearless cop Animesh Dutta. Saswata chatted with us about what he loves about this role and his other projects.

It has been a decade since Proloy happened. What was your process of getting into the character of Animesh Dutta again in Abar Proloy?

Saswata Chatterjee: When Proloy released, my character Animesh Dutta became a huge hit. I had seen a huge response in the cinema halls. That is when Raj (Chakraborty) thought of creating a film keeping Animesh Dutta as the central character. It wasn’t getting executed for several reasons. A lot of people discouraged him. After ZEE5 agreed to it, he thought of making a web series.

The advantage is that I know Animesh Dutta very well. Just that the age of my character has increased by 10 years. Animesh Dutta has matured in everything. The challenge was the fight sequences. That was new to me, but thanks to my fight master Rocky Rajesh. The best part so far is that people are loving the series.

Take us through your preparation process…

Saswata Chatterjee: My action performance was mostly based on rehearsals. My base is the script. After working on Proloy, I was very clear about the mind space and body language of Animesh Dutta. The story is very interesting. The 10 episodes are very gripping. Each and every character is well-crafted.

You play a rowdy cop. What was the most challenging part of it?

Saswata Chatterjee: The fact that nothing is challenging enough for Animesh Dutta. He throws challenges to other people. That is the best thing about him. He does a lot of things which a normal person doesn’t do.

How did Nag Ashwin’s Project K happen?

Saswata Chatterjee: I had got quite a few offers from the South film industries after (Sujoy Ghosh’s) Kahaani but couldn’t take them up for certain reasons. For this, the offer came from the film team.

Project K (stars Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani) is a huge project; it has been happening for around two-and-a-half years. I can’t explain just how big the project is! Their main focus is to complete the film in the way they want it. They don’t care about money. Their passion is to make a great film.

Project K will mark your debut in Telugu films. How challenging was it to learn a new language?

Saswata Chatterjee: I would ask an assistant director to explain the meaning of the dialogues and scenes that would come to me. I would note down the meaning of these words in English and learn my lines accordingly.

Would it be fair to say that the work coming your way from outside Bengal is creatively more fulfilling than what you’ve been offered in Bangla cinema over the last few years?

Saswata Chatterjee: I think the more I work outside Bengal, the more I will reach a larger audience. This is the aim or vision of any actor. To be honest, the Bengali scripts that have been coming my way for the last one year lack the basic things. If I read a script and don’t feel like laughing or crying or it doesn’t move me in any way, doesn’t touch me emotionally, then what will it do to the audience?

We are in a loop where producers are not willing to pay until they get back their money, and if they don’t shell out money, big films won’t happen. If big films don’t happen, the audience won’t go to the halls. Films are happening on a small budget and are getting released on an OTT.

I have decided that if I don’t get good work in Bengal, I won’t take up work at all. What’s the point in putting in so much hard work if it is not fruitful?

Having worked in three film industries, where do you think Tollywood is lagging behind?

Saswata Chatterjee: In Tollywood, the market is small and there’s no scope of making a big film. Outside Bengal, there are five people for one job; here there is one person doing five different things. We don’t have the capacity to hire a lot of people. There, the pre-production process goes on for a long time. There’s no difference in talent. To get out of this vicious cycle, all heads need to come together.

How are things going in Bollywood?

Saswata Chatterjee: There are two projects in Bollywood which I am shooting for: Anurag Basu’s Metro In Dino and Rajesh Krishnan’s The Crew starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon. I’m reuniting with Anurag Basu again after Jagga Jasoos. It is fun working with him.

And what’s up next here?

Saswata Chatterjee: There’s a web series by Joydeep Mukherjee, Kataye Kataye, which is supposed to release on ZEE5 soon.