The new year has begun on a grand note for Tota Roy Choudhury. The Hoichoi courtroom drama Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo, where Tota plays a formidable lawyer, is getting rave reviews. “I am overwhelmed by the love showered on our series,” said Tota. A t2 chat....

Let’s go back a bit. How would you like to remember 2023?

Last year was possibly the finest year of my career. Similar to this would be 20 years ago when Chokher Bali was released. This time it was so wide that nothing could top this. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani played in theatres across the world. People outside India had specifically asked about me after seeing my portrayal. That has been fantastic. A lot of people wanted to see my earlier work. Karan Sir (Johar) said in an interview that I was possibly the most obedient actor that he has worked with! A lot of producers and directors woke up to me in my industry. I’ve been getting a lot of interesting offers from my industry which I wasn’t in the last 10 years.

What happened after Chokher Bali? Were you flooded with offers? Did things change for you after Chokher Bali?

Surprisingly, it didn’t. It became worse.

Why?

I don’t know for sure.

Were you labeled as a cerebral actor who was not fit for the mainstream?

What I gathered was ... people didn’t know how to fit me in. Earlier I was doing commercial films and I was quite successful in that genre. I was doing television too. After Chokher Bali work just dried up. For six months I was just sitting at home. Work that should have come my way didn’t. So I had no other option but to wait for things to change.

Did you ever experience another lean patch?

Between the years 2013 and 2018, it was a very trying period. When I look back I cannot pinpoint why it happened.

How did you cope with it?

I just battled it out. Then Ahalya by Sujoy Ghosh happened and it was a huge hit and slowly Bombay opened up. Then I did Kahaani 2 with Sujoy, Indu Sarkar with Madhur Bhandarkar, and Helicopter Eela with the late Pradeep Sarkar. Bombay kept me afloat but the Bangla film industry didn’t look my way. Then the tide turned in 2019 when Srijit Mukherji cast me as Feluda.
Simultaneously Sreemoyee happened on television. It was a huge hit. In 2021 I was awarded the Best Supporting Actor for the film Mukhosh, the Best Supporting Actor for Sreemoyee on television and the Best Actor on OTT for Feluda. I was recognised in all three mediums, and to the best of my knowledge I am the first and only Bengali actor who has won in all three mediums in one calendar year. An actor’s life is a rollercoaster ride. I wish I had the guidance or a godfather that so many actors had who came later. I did not have that privilege. I had to flounder and find my way.

Your PR game wasn’t strong?

It is by choice not strong. There is an element of pride in me... I don’t know whether it is misplaced or not. It is a performer’s pride... if I am good at my work, why do I have to rely on PR? I have suffered because of this. Some people think I am high-nosed. But that is not the case. For example, I did not ask Karan Johar for work. He saw my audition twice and he called up the casting director and said: “I have got my Chandan Chatterjee.” It happened within 30 minutes. Later I asked him, “What made you cast me?” He said: “Instinct.”

Do you harbour any bitterness against anyone in the Bengali film industry?

I have no animosity whatsoever against anyone anymore. Somebody up there has designed this journey for me. He has given me success in spurts. The years when I had little work... were meant to strengthen me; to be ready for success. It is God’s design. I have never taken my work for granted. I saw so many... who came later and gave up. It is bewildering. For me, work is worship; ask my directors. I am never late for work. Probably twice in my entire career, in almost three decades, have I been late and that’s not because of my fault. I never throw a tantrum. For me, I have to do my work to the best of my ability.

How has life changed after the success of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani?

I realised good work is always rewarded. Now I am reaping the fruits of my long, long journey. I am getting the best of work in Bengal and in Bombay. Usually, I space out my projects. Suddenly, I find myself to be quite busy. And I need time to prepare. Sometimes I need time to sit at my balcony and look at the sky above and do nothing. That’s the way I get my energy. From September to November last year, I didn’t know which city I was in. Sometimes I didn’t know which country I was in. It was exhilarating as well as tiring. It has been very rewarding and now I am pacing myself.

What is your frame of mind right now? Does success make you very confident about your work/ performance?

I have never let success go to my head. Success will come in the course of work and so will failure. This is the life of any working actor. I have read a lot of biographies of actors and I know that this has happened to every actor. Does it make me confident? I was always confident even during my dry phase. I know where I stand at this age and that is my biggest strength. If I am good at something, I’ll try to be better at it. In this age of specialisation, this all-rounder thing is truly a myth.

You mentioned age. Do people in Bombay ask you about your age?

They fall off their chairs. They feel I look at least 10 years younger. Good for me, I can play a variety of roles. If you have a character who travels back and forth in time, then I am a good fit.

Is that because of the fitness regimen you follow?

Yes, and also because I tend to worry less about life. I derive strength from my family; I have peace in my life because of my family. It contributes a lot to your staying young. For an actor, there are four stages to his/her life: Who is Tota? Get me Tota. Get me someone like Tota. And who is Tota? Once I know these fundamental truths I don’t worry much about it. I am not saying that I have such great control over myself that I am always philosophising about life. I have gone through phases where I have felt angry, and frustrated. Then I say to myself: “Let’s just say I am not good enough. What do I need to do to get better.” When I thought in that manner I knew I had something to work towards. When I got the work that I did I always held my own. So I can say, even in my bad films, my audience didn’t dislike me.

You are one of those rare actors who have played heroes as well as villains.

That has been a mistake though... to play the negative roles where I was getting bashed up. There was no scope for me to act or do anything else. It ruined the image that I was building. Since I used to watch a lot of Hollywood films I thought that an actor should do all kinds of roles. But that’s a mistake if you want to be a hero. If you want to play a hero, you’ll have to choose films that will put you across as a leading man. In retrospect, I know that with the kind of skills I have I could have only played leading men. Now a lot of variations have come in. These days the antagonist is very colourful and has layers.

Will you play an antagonist now?

I can, provided it is written in such a manner... that it is written well, has a backstory and has redemption to it. It all depends on the writing and the director.

Recently you worked with Neeraj Pandey for Special Ops 2 and with Vikramaditya Motwane for Black Warrant. How was that experience?

I can’t reveal much but it was a hugely fulfilling experience because I got to work with Neeraj Pandey, one of my fave directors. He is so cool, calm and collected. He is a voracious reader. He has an enviable library in his Bombay office. It was such an honour working with him. He has a different kind of vision. I was in Eastern Europe for quite some time. Also, it was fantastic working with Vikramaditya Motwane. He is such an exacting director. He knows what he wants. I have done another Hindi film with Kunal Deshmukh. I got to shoot at some fantastic locations. Kunal is passionate, calm and possibly the fittest director I have worked with. All the roles are very strong and assertive and you’ll get to see me in an action avatar in one of them.

How did Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo happen?

This was the first thing I signed after Rocky Aur Rani... I found the script, director and platform conducive to my vision. I wanted to play a lawyer for a long time, and it has very interesting dimensions to it. It is one of my fave roles. I had a great time doing it. Chandrasish Ray (director) is extremely talented, and somebody to watch out for. I love his passion. Joyraj Singha is kind of a legend in the legal circles of Bengal. He is the go-to defense lawyer. It was great collaborating with Mimi. She has done a fantastic job and so has the ensemble cast. I have worked in four industries. By far the most talented bunch of actors are in Bengal. I hope our directors and producers realise what kind of a goldmine they are working with. I am also looking forward to the release of Pratim D. Gupta’s film, Chaalchitro — The Frame Fatale.