It is not every day that Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee sits down for a no-holds-barred chat, with son Trishanjit for company. But the devoted daddy was game for one since the occasion was Father’s Day. t2oS caught up with the handsome duo over a lavish lunch at Avartana in ITC Royal Bengal, talking about everything from fatherhood to fond memories, from films to fitness, looking back and ahead.... Excerpts...
Since we are here to celebrate the beautiful occasion of Father’s Day, how would you define your relationship with your son Trishanjit?
Prosenjit: It’s very difficult for me to sum up the relationship. For me, any father and son, be it celebrity or a common man in the world, it’s a common relationship, normal. And you see, the father and son relationship changes with time. When Mishuk (Trishanjit) was five, the relationship between us was different. Suddenly when he was 12-15 years old it was different, and now when he is 18 and getting into manhood... so say another two years would be a very difficult time for both father and mother to handle him. So this is common for any family. Say, when he turns 25 and starts his career, maybe you will feel that the son is becoming like the father and the father like the son.
Are you a strict father?
Prosenjit: No, not really!
Trishanjit: He is not strict. I wouldn’t say I am pampered, but ma (Arpita) is stricter. I have grown up in a hostel, so I really don’t depend on anyone to do things like iron my clothes. I am quite independent I would say in that sense. I only go to them to get advice mostly.
Bumbada, were you a hands-on father when Mishuk was small?
Prosenjit: First thing I would love to say on this particular day is... when he was a baby, till the time he started going to the market to know what he wants, until then his entire wardrobe from nappies to onesies was brought by me and not a single one by Arpita (smiles)! It was my duty and I used to go to Bombay and there was this particular shop where I would buy clothes from.
Trishanjit: After I think 11-12 I got a sense of fashion and (started) choosing my clothes. Otherwise it’s been him.
Prosenjit: I would also do his entire packing when he would go to the hostel. From basic amenities to outfits, I would buy everything and pack meticulously for him and also after going to the hostel I would unpack it for him. There was nobody else, it would take two hours. I am a very organised person. But now I have given it up, he does his own thing, sometimes when I go to his room I am like aarghh!
Trishanjit: It’s now like a proper teenager’s room! I would like to make it clear that I am not unhygienic, my room can be just a little messy sometimes.
Prosenjit: Arre, of course you are not unhygenic. It’s just that when he goes back, I need to square up his clothes and keep gorom er jama ek dike and thanda’r jama ek dike. I am really very organised (laughs).
What is the sweetest thing you have done for each other?
Trishanjit: What has he done for me? Bapre! Too many things! But one memorable thing would be when he took me to see the FIFA World Cup in 2018. Seeing Messi was a dream come true. Watching a World Cup match is a big thing!
Prosenjit: That was the only trip where only both of us were there.
Trishanjit: Yes, and mom had joined us later on. The trip was very special.
Bumbada, you are a Messi fan...
Prosenjit: My puja room has Messi pictures, it’s been like that always.
Trishanjit: For me it would be Shah Rukh (Khan), Messi, Sanjay Dutt, Al Pacino.
What has been a really memorable moment for you both together?
Trishanjit: Watching FIFA World Cup live!
Prosenjit: His first proper outdoor was during Yeti Obhijaan, I think he was in grade 6-7 and it was in Switzerland. It was biting cold, my entire team who has been with me for over 15 years would be with him as I would be caught up prepping and shooting. I remember Jisshu (Sengupta) was there with his beautiful daughters too. We had a lovely time! He loves Kakababu and that was his first proper way of seeing a shoot. I remember after watching Kakababu, he came and tapped me, said he liked it and that it was nice! (Smiles)
Trishanjit: That was the last time I tapped him, after that our relationship is such we don’t appreciate talking much... he knows when I like something he did and vis-a-vis.
Prosenjit: As it is I am little introvert. Actually we both are similar in this. We have a way of communicating.
What is your first memory of watching your father shoot?
Prosenjit: Ami bolchi. I recall taking him along during Nouka Doobi shoot, and kichukhon por dekhi, kannakati korchhe. You know a Rituda film, janlar pashe dariye aachhe toh aachhe scene e; he was little and he didn’t understand anything. He was expecting shooting maane nach, action or the likes... so I sent him home (both laugh).
Trishanjit: I had seen that during the shoot of Bikram Singha. I remember clearly that I had got so scared seeing the villian. I was getting off from the bus and he was decked up and came to say ‘Hi beta, kaise ho’ and I started crying. Then baba was covered in blood, they were dunking him in water in that scene and I was so worried. One of my pishis had gone with me and she went on assuring me that he was fine... what a memory!
Prosenjit: Once I think he got lost Ramaji Rao Film City te.
Trishanjit: Not at all. The thing was I was very naughty as a kid, and I would keep running, playing and hiding.
So what are the other similar traits you both share?
Prosenjit: As per Arpita, 70-80 per cent of my bad traits are in him (laughs).
Trishanjit is a splitting image of handsome Bumbada. How much do you see yourself in him in terms of looks and personality?
Prosenjit: I will answer this in a different way. You see, few things are genetic. Back then people would say I looked like Biswajit (Chatterjee; Prosenjit’s father), voice was like him. My father was a big star. I’m sure if Mishuk decides to come to this industry he will also be told that he looks like baba, walk like baba, but as an actor, it was my challenge and it took time to come out of it and build my own image. So that my next generation, ekhon jara kaaj kore oder ke onek e bole you look like Prosenjit. That brand Mishuk has to create.
It’s the right time to now ask if you want to be an actor like your dad... Trishanjit looks at Prosenjit: Bole debo shob?
This is my first proper interview... Prosenjit: Tomar mone jeta chaichhe bolo... Trishanjit: I definitely want to be an actor and be like him. I am doing theatre day in and day out, preparing myself, working on my body, grooming myself.
You want to be a mainstream actor?
Trishanjit: You want to see my wallpaper? Besides my parents I have Dev’s picture. He is the first guy I grew up watching; bunked school to watch his film; wouldn’t eat without seeing him on TV. He knows about it. I must have been three-four and I would wonder who is this guy, so tall, handsome, dancing, fighting... I want to be that commercially hit star. And of course I am a Shah Rukh Khan fan! If you see my Instagram you will understand what my favourite pose is (smiles).
Prosenjit: He loves Dev and even keeps hanging out with Ankush; they often go out to eat or are chilling together! Very good human being ora. Fun!
Both of you are extremely fit! What does Trishanjit’s workout regimen look like?
Trishanjit: I have to say that I am way fitter than he was at my age!
Prosenjit: Babu, at your age I had to take the responsibility of my family, so I had started working. You have to be way fitter because you need to look much better than me (smiles).
Trishanjit: My fitness is simple — football and yes, I do work out too. But football I simply love; it’s an answer to heartbreak, happiness, anger... any emotion.
Bumbada, you keep getting fitter... do you share any fitness tips with your son?
Prosenjit: Last 10 years I have paid huge importance to it. I take advice from him because they know what’s in now. They know much better so I try to take advice. Back when he used to come back on breaks he would gain weight but then football has helped him in a great way; plus he pays attention to his fitness. I try to keep my food habit right. First of all, I don’t have alcohol, it is very rare. If I must, maybe a sip. I stay away from oily food and avoid sugar. But sometimes for him (points at Trishanjit) I need to have cheesecake because he wants to have it when he is on a holiday and he makes sure I have a bite. That way both of us share the guilt (laughs).
What is your comfort food?
Trishanjit: Biryani!
Prosenjit: Aloo posto bhaat is my favourite. We are not much of going to a restaurant to eat type. We love dining in at home. Sometimes, we have say magur machh bhaat, like very homely food.
Coming to your work Bumbada… what a way to make your debut on OTT platform with Jubilee!
Prosenjit: It took little time due to the pandemic but I have always wanted to do something meaningful. I have a huge responsibility because I represent Bengal. I’ve been told by many actors that when they go to Bombay or elsewhere to act, they are often asked if they have worked with me.
Even Jisshu had told me that he was asked if he has worked with me. He said that and I felt so good! It’s like I have set a benchmark well. OTT is a new platform, we have to keep in mind that if we shoot for a two-hour character we need to shoot for 20-25 days, but to keep a character for 10 hours and shoot for it… that was a lesson for me.
I have to practise and be it. When Jubilee released I knew we had done something different but not the kind of reaction it received. Success and critical recognition are two things, many have said it’s great and of an international standard.
Honestly speaking, I do not have a lot of numbers of many people but I suddenly felt that people like Karan (Johar), Siddharth Roy Kapur... they sent voice messages to me. When I met Sanjay ji (Leela Bhansali) recently, he hugged me! Then again when I meet say Vicky (Kaushal) it’s like a fan moment, they are so excited! Of course credit goes to the director, writers but I did work hard. And the kind of appreciation I am getting nationally and internationally feels great. We say it’s a Jubilee Club. Even after theseries, we are very much in touch.
Your role as Jaideb Sen in Scoop was a pivotal one too…
Prosenjit: I did Scoop because I have huge love and respect for Hansal, he is a very old friend. I did this because I know the backdrop of the story and character as it was based on a real-life story. After Jubilee’s Srikant Roy, I wanted to surprise the audience with a different character. Jaideb’s character is of a common man.
How did you prepare for your role of a journalist?
Prosenjit: I had to first know that man. He was not only a journalist but someone hugely respected. He was a man who looked normal but had a fire within. I also spoke to many crime-beat journalists nationally. Things like what kind of risks they take… to understand their psyche and they helped me a lot too.
What kind of roles are you looking at at this point in your career?
Prosenjit: My point is very simple. I am a student of cinema and I have been learning for the last 40 years doing different kinds of roles. I am not looking for a normal character, the role has to offer me something different, something out of the box.
You have been in the industry for 40 years. Which era according to you has been the golden period of Indian cinema?
Prosenjit: We cannot deny the 50s or 60s of Indian cinema but at the same time I feel it changes every time, you know. Challenges were always there in cinema due to new technology. When we did blackand-white films, television came and many said people would only watch TV. Then coloured TV came, home theatre came, cable TV came where they would show new movies… and people thought aar keu giye cinema dekhbe na. Now we have OTT! I have said always that these challenges are a part of our lives and will always be there, cinema remains. Your pattern of cinema changes. Dekhbe prem er cinema cholchhe toh cholchhe, then dekhle suddenly action movie craze elo. Post-pandemic people have started loving larger-than-life movies like Pathaan. It is our duty to understand the trend.
I am a huge fan of Mr Yash Chopra, whatever his age was, the movies he has made are brilliant. With Jubilee I have been able to reach out to a new and younger audience as well and that’s my kick! Why do you think I did Kakababu? Tar aage bachcha ra amai chinto na. But now they see me and often ask “Tomar crutch ta kothai?” I always feel if audience e ma and meye amai bhalobashe, tar o je meye shey keno amai bhalobashbe na?
There is a phrase ‘director’s actor’. In 40 years you have done so many films, delivered so many hits. Today when you look back, who are the people would you say have shaped you?
Prosenjit: I am totally a director’s actor. That time if Swapan Saha, Probhat da (Roy), Anjan Choudhury or Haranath Chakraborty or Sujit Guha na thakto…. Ekhon aajke jodi ami kono Bangla songothon-e jai, they will not play Jubilee, they will play my Amar Sangi, so that’s my tagline and I have to respect that. It brings us back to what I was saying, with time we have to change. I did romance, action… but one day one fine morning one man started a different fire in me. He said there is something inside me, he said you are Prosenjit, you are a good actor, a star but you have something else in you and that man is Ritu (Rituparno Ghosh) and I started working on it. I used to say, “Ritu, the way Bengalis know me I also want to be known to all the international film festivals. Not only Rituparno Ghosh, Goutamda (Ghose) or Buddhada (Dasgupta), I had done films of all types. I did films like Housefull, Clerk, I was a total mainstream actor but I did a film like Clerk. I started experimenting too early not thinking my image will change. I keep saying moja kore that Rituda amai ekta birth diyechhe and Srijit (Mukherji), Kaushik (Ganguly) are nurturing that and I’m enjoying that.
Food pictures courtesy ITC Royal Bengal
Even after being a star’s son you have been a self-made man. How do you plan to help Trishanjit? Would you act as a cushion?
Prosenjit: I want him to do the same, carve his own niche. He has two years or so to decide which path he wants to take because he is at an age where he wants to be an actor and sometimes a footballer (smiles). If he really wants to get into this field as an actor or director as parents amra support debo but I am not going to produce a film for him.
Is there a quality you like and dislike in each other?
Trishanjit: His dedication is something I love and also dislike when he is too dedicated.
Prosenjit: I love his behaviour.
Trishanjit, name some of your favourite films /shows of your father?
Trishanjit: Dosar, Chokher Bali, Jubilee, Rakte Lekha, Khela are some of my favourites. Rakte Lekha I googled on YouTube and watched onek khuje.
Both of you have great sense of style...
Trishanjit: I would say my dad is more stylish than me!
Prosenjit: Back in the days therewas no stylist concept, even now I don’t have a stylist. When I did AmarSangi you have to understand Kolkata sohore kono chhele baki chhilo na who didn’t wear shada jama and muffler. Protibaad-e I wore a jacket and that had become a rage.
Finally, Trishanjit, can you say a couple of Bumbada’s fave dialogues for us?
Trishanjit: So many of them! One would be ‘Jibone bhaat, dal ar biryani-r tofat ta bujhte sekho’ from Baishe Srabon and in Jubilee, I have ample number of favourites... ‘Waqt ki kya auqaat ke wohhamse aage nikal jaye’ and ‘Ami industry’ dialouge from Autograph. It’s very hard to keep up with his work.
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