With the Tathagata Mukherjee-directed Pariah, which hit the theatres on February 9, Vikram Chatterjee has broken out of the mould of a romantic hero. The actor talks about his experience of working on Pariah and why the film’s subject is close to his heart.

Pariah is getting a good response at the theatres...

Vikram Chatterjee: It feels great, both as part of Pariah and the Bengali film industry, because we know it is quite difficult for a Bengali film to do great business theatrically. People have related to the subject as their anger over the years towards the injustice towards dogs has come up. This is more than any box office numbers. My performance has been liked by many people. For the last few years, Bengali films have just been working in Kolkata but Pariah has got massive footfalls in smaller towns like Kalyani, Sheorafuli, Chandannagar, Barrackpore, Burdwan, and Behrampore.

You have always been a dog lover. I’m sure it was an immediate yes when Pariah came to you…

Vikram Chatterjee: It was more of a collaboration between Tathagata (Mukherjee, director) and Avinaba Ghosh. We were doing a film called Memory X, which is an independent Hindi film. While we were making the film, Tathagata said that he wanted to make an action film and I said that nobody wants to cast me in an action film. When Tathagata narrated the script, I liked it very much as it was a very personal subject. I was on board immediately. I knew what I was taking on and I was ready for the hard work that I would have to put in. I had to justify why I was fit to be cast in an action film while my image is of a romantic hero. That took time. I had to go through a transformation.

You went through a physical transformation to play the character. Can you take us through the journey?

Vikram Chatterjee: I play a reclusive young man who gets involved in a mysterious case of missing street dogs and becomes the saviour of pariah dogs. I had never done an action film before and had to dedicatedly prepare for the action sequences. It took me more than a year to create the look of my character.

More than the physical transformation, it was the emotional transformation through the film that mattered. My mother and sister are ardent dog lovers. They have had difficulties in trying to do little things for dogs. People object if you feed dogs on the road but people can pee on the road and nobody has a problem with that. And how are we even justifying what we are doing with animals on this planet? Pariah as a film says that every living being on this planet has the right to live peacefully and conveys the message that we humans are emotionally closest to dogs.

The action sequences in Pariah look good.

Vikram Chatterjee: Action films are expensive. Since we didn’t have the budget that action films usually have, we had to choose a format that would be impactful. As a director, Tathagata had the vision and it has been executed well. We shot with 70 dogs. Dogs have their own way of looking at life. Shooting with dogs was a challenge.

Your last film Sohorer Ushnotomo Dine was completely different from Pariah.

Vikram Chatterjee: Yes. Both my last releases, Sesh Pata by Atanu Ghosh and Sohorer Ushnotomo Dine by Aritra Sen, are very different from each other. As an actor, we should constantly feel challenged. I am very blessed that my producers and directors are offering me characters that are very different from each other. That also lets me explore my potential as an actor.

Where do you want to see yourself in the next five years?

Vikram Chatterjee: Through my own life and journey, I have realised that life in films is very unpredictable. We don’t know what will happen in the next minute. I can only work towards my goals and priorities and put my heart and soul into it. The result will show on its own.

It has been a decade since your first film. How has the journey been?

Vikram Chatterjee: It has been great. When I left my job in 2009, I wanted to see if I could try and become an actor. I was working in a bank. I wasn’t sure if I would survive here. I am very grateful to the audience for their love and my producers and directors who have given me work and also my family for being so supportive. I hope I can continue working like this and there’s nothing more I can ask for.

⁠What is next for you?

Vikram Chatterjee: Ke Prothom Kache Esheche, a romantic film featuring Madhumita (Sircar) and Darshana (Banik) directed by Sheiladitya Moulik. Then there’s Amar Sangi with Sohini (Sarkar), a brilliant romcom by Dibyo Chatterjee, and the thriller Durgapur Junction where Swastika Mukherjee and I play the pivotal characters.