That Saswata Chatterjee has held his own next to Deepika Padukone, Prabhas, Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan in Kalki 2898 AD says a lot about the kind of performer he is. The Kolkata-based actor shared with us anecdotes from the sets of Nag Ashwin’s film and the challenges of becoming Commander Manas.

How has Kalki 2898 AD changed things for you? Are there more offers from beyond Bengal?

Saswata Chatterjee: There are offers but nothing has materialised yet. We are in talks for quite a few.

What kind of feedback did you get to your performance as Commander Manas from the Hindi film industry?

Saswata Chatterjee: They have been quite positive about the film. I think they are satisfied.

You shared screen space with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Deepika Padukone. How was the experience?

Saswata Chatterjee: They are all very professional. They don’t really behave like stars. They are very humble on the set. They know very well what they are doing. They don’t suffer from any insecurities and that’s why they don’t throw tantrums. People who reach a high position don’t have insecurities. Work is their priority and they are very confident.

Tell us how Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hassan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone were as co-actors…

Saswata Chatterjee: Deepika is a very professional actor. My first day of shooting with her was at Annapurna Studios. It was the last day of the shoot on that set. Both of us reached around 10am as per the call time. I was giving shot after shot and Deepika was waiting for her turn. She looked at me each time and said, ‘Phir aapko bulaya, mujhe nahi bulaya’. She came at 10 in the morning and gave her first shot at 5 in the evening. Even if she was irritated, she never showed it. She had a constant smile on her face. She is that professional. This is something to learn.

In the climax scene, my character was supposed to torture Deepika’s character. Deepika was pregnant at that time. We were shooting in Mumbai and Ranveer Singh dropped by. After watching the rehearsal, Ranveer said, ‘Dada, aap ye karenge unke saath? She is pregnant!’ I said, ‘Don’t worry, there is a body double for her.’ Ranveer is a fun guy.

I had a single scene with Kamal Haasan in Kalki 2898 AD. He is such a legendary figure, yet he is so normal. He prefers to be silent on the set. Till the director tells him that he has a break for 15-20 minutes, he doesn’t leave the set. You will not feel his presence on the set. He is that silent. These are things you learn from him. When I first interacted with Kamal Haasan, I touched his feet. He quietly held my hands and said, ‘Don’t do this.’

Prabhas is a very big star but is a very simple guy. Whenever we met on the sets, he had a smile. He is always respectful towards everybody. His body language would say the respect he has for me. If you are calm, you can reach great heights. He is an example of that. We hardly stay calm and become egotistical in small matters. This is something to learn from Prabhas.

I met Amitabh Bachchan in the climax sequence. Amitabh Bachchan is a shockingly amazing guy. Even at this age, he has so much energy!

And how was it to be directed by Nag Ashwin?

Saswata Chatterjee: He is an amazing director to work with. Watching him, you won’t understand that he is responsible for such a big project. You won’t hear him shouting on the film set. If he has to give any instruction, he will quietly come over to you, tell you what to do and leave. The rest of the people won’t even know what he said.

He did the pre-production of the film very meticulously. All the fight sequences had fighters with proper costumes who would shoot the whole sequence and edit them. We would see the whole scene with 250-300 still photographs of shots. We didn’t have to work hard for it. The scene would be in front of our eyes.

My role, Manas, was increased while I was shooting the film. There’s a sequence where I kill Sobhana (Chandrakumar Pillai) ma’am; this was supposed to be my death sequence. They didn’t keep the scene; instead they increased my role and made my character the main villain.

What was the most challenging part of becoming Commander Manas?

Saswata Chatterjee: The toughest part was acting in a film without knowing the language. Kalki 2898 AD was entirely shot in Telugu and then dubbed in Hindi. In my first Zoom call with Nag Ashwin, I said that I was feeling nervous because I didn’t know Telugu. He said, ‘No problem sir, you are in good hands.’ It was really challenging to understand the language, to learn it and then act. I thought somebody else would do the dubbing but they made me dub it! They told me that I spoke well. I dubbed in Telugu for three days in Hyderabad.

My character in Kalki 2898 AD is a commander and the way he walks and talks is very stoic. He is very smart. But when I tried on the costume, I understood how difficult things were going to be. The costume weighed around 4-5 kg. I was wearing a collar, which was heavy and huge. Carrying that around was difficult. If I had to shoot for an hour, my spine would start aching. There were two people dedicated just for my movement with the dress. It was challenging to maintain the body language while wearing this heavy dress.

What do you think sets the Telugu film industry apart from the Bengali film industry?

Saswata Chatterjee: The budget is the main difference. In Bengal the budget is so low that one person is burdened with five jobs, while in the South you have five people running to get a single job done. Both the South and Hindi film markets are huge. We can’t compete. Every technician is very professional as there is a lot of money involved. In the South, nobody is allowed with cellphones on the set. They have to deposit their phones against a token and then go in. You are bound to work when you are on the set.

How will you describe the present phase of your career?

Saswata Chatterjee: I have always enjoyed working and I had no expectations. So, whatever I’m getting is a bonus. I have no tension about what I’m going to do in the future. I know what I won’t do now. My father (late actor Subhendu Chatterjee) was not in a position to do that; he had to take up all the roles that came his way. At times he would say, ‘You should make a place for yourself where you know where to say no. You must have the option to choose.’ I have made this place for myself in Bengal.

What do you do when you are not working? How do you unwind?

Saswata Chatterjee: I am watching a film now! If I’m home, I watch a film or I travel once a month for sure. I also love to spend time with my family and my pet dog.

What is next for you?

Saswata Chatterjee: I am shooting for Khakee -The Bengal Chapter with Neeraj Pandey and Metro -In Dino with Anurag Basu. I recently shot in Bangladesh for Chorki.