The ultimate gentleman of a father. The immaculately loving daughter. Ranjit Mallick and daughter Koel Mallick. When they both get together, it’s a riot — of laughter, innocent happiness, simple joys of life and positivity. The Telegraph gets the father-daughter duo talking ahead of Father’s Day (June 19) on the relationship they share, the nurturing and care that has shaped Koel into the woman she is today, top tips on parenting and one thing that Koel must not tell her mother!
Ranjit sir, does Koel pamper you like this most of the time?
Ranjit Mallick: Chhobi tolar shomoy ektu beshi!
Koel: Naaaaaaa, naaaaa!
Koel, now that’s an allegation!
Koel: A big one! He is saying it deliberately. (Laughs) All the time. ‘Aajkal toh baba’r kotha monei pore na’. These days he’ll start a conversation with this guilt trip. I’ll only have to call him several times!
Ranjit Mallick: Na, na ta noy.
Koel: He loves being pampered. He has this royal style. (Laughs)
What are your first memories of holding Koel in your arms?
Ranjit Mallick: I was scared to hold her lest I drop her. I was overcautious. It was a great feeling though. I remember it was very hot, but I was in heaven when I came back home with her.
We have seen Koel as someone who is prim and proper. What was her childhood like?
Koel: Absolutely go! Aami chhoto boyesh theke bhishon beshi shashone manush hoyechhi. This is right and that is wrong. There was a full checklist of dos and don’ts.
Ranjit Mallick: Achha eta kore bhalo korechhi na kharap korechhi? Look before you leap. You have to teach your kids what to do and what not.
Koel: Baba has always said look before you leap so that you know the consequences of your actions. The deepest principles and values of life have been ingrained in me. I don’t know how to thank god that I have him in my life as my father who has guided me through every single thing. Today only we were talking about how till a certain age parents should be like parents and then they become your friends. With their experience in life, they can advise their children so that they don’t make similar mistakes and have bouts of sadness. So, I think baba has always lived by it.
Ranjit Mallick: Parents have a lot more experience, having gone through so many challenges. All that glitters is not gold.
Koel is the only daughter and often in such cases, parents end up overpampering the kid. How did you strike a balance?
Ranjit Mallick: Ondho sneho kokhono kora uchit noy. Of course you will love your kids, but if your child is committing a mistake, then you can’t support it because bekayday toh oi porbe.
Koel: Even if I were crying and complaining, if it was my fault, he would be correcting me.
Koel, did you get spanking as a kid?
Koel: He has never raised even a finger or his voice! I have never seen him lose his cool. He is calm and composed.
Ranjit Mallick: I have advised and scolded.
Koel: He has never even scolded! He thinks he has!
Ranjit Mallick: Sheta ma’r opor chhara chhilo! (Laughs)
Koel: Her pinches (laughs). He would go quiet when disappointed and the sadness would show on the face, which is unlike him. We have a similar nature. We are always laughing. He believes a day without laughter is a day wasted. It’s majorly a Cartoon Network happening in the house. My father arrived at a fine balance of mentoring and affection in such a way that I never realised when he became a friend from a father figure.
He has always been the world for me. I would share everything with him. He would come back home and make an effort to sit and listen to all our stories. That communication has to be strong. Then things become very easy. You have to make your child emotionally strong and then you can handle even the challenges with a smile. Now, with Kabir (Koel’s son) around, he is always like: ‘Where is Kabir? You didn’t get him?!’
Ranjit Mallick: Kabir is much more important to me. Don’t mind!
Koel: Dekhechho?! Happily accepting my defeat! (Laughs)
Ranjit sir, you were such a huge star. How did you keep things normal at home?
Ranjit Mallick: I have always been family-oriented. Yes work is important, but equally important is my family. After pack-up, I am a son, uncle, brother, father....
So, switch on and off?
Ranjit Mallick: Yes. I have never worked for 24 hours. I’d work till 6.30pm-7pm, just like any other person going to work and then I’d be back home.
Has Koel been on sets while you were shooting?
Ranjit Mallick: When we’d go for outdoor shoots, I have taken her along on some occasions.
Would you consciously keep her away from limelight?
Ranjit Mallick: Not at all. Across professions, you will find a set of good people and bad people. You can’t malign only the profession of films.
Koel: Baba is very possessive that way.
How did you ensure that your stardom doesn’t get to Koel’s head?
Ranjit Mallick: I could have sent her in cars to school and college. Ek din o pathaini. She has taken the school bus and Metro.
Koel: This is a lie! (Laughs) Baba has been so very possessive and overprotective. He would send me a car to college and then I told him that college often gets over early and I have to wait. I have taken the Metro without telling you (looks at Ranjit Mallick).
He never made me feel that he belonged to the entertainment industry, which maybe is different from the rest of the professions.
The first time I got to know about it was when I was in Class III or IV. We were in Gariahat and someone spotted him inside the car and the crowd swelled. I was thinking what just happened. Aamar kachhe toh aamar baba baba. That day I realised that baba was someone popular. I asked him, everyone is saying you are famous, are you? One day I told him: ‘Baba, tumi aamakeo famous kore dao!’ (Laughs)
So, you hadn’t seen any of his films till then?
Koel: I hadn’t been to the theatres to watch his films till Class II or III. I watched bits and pieces of Kapal Kundala long after its release and then understood he was into acting. I have always seen him as a family man and have always respected that. When I got into my profession, I realised I have to give my 100 per cent but at the same time, when I am back home, aami ekebarei bari’r meye. I have learnt it from my baba.
Film offers for me had started coming in much earlier, but baba did not tell me. Like any other orthodox Bengali family, he wanted me to complete my graduation and then take a call on my career.
Ranjit Mallick: You need a foundation.
Koel: This is an uncertain profession and anything might happen any day. When Nater Guru (by Haranath Chakraborty) was offered to me, baba said this was serious business and needs commitment....
But he never discouraged you?
Koel: Never, because he has high respect for his profession. He said acting was not a plaything. I thought of giving it a try.
Harakaku (Haranath Chakraborty) told me much later that baba told him: ‘Shunun aapnar jodi mone hoy parchhe na, ekkebare baad diye deben!’ (Laughs) Very bad, baba!
Ranjit Mallick: Please try to understand my psychology.
Koel: The audience is so honest that if they love you, they love you and if they don’t, they don’t. So, to protect me from criticism and so that I am not heartbroken, he told Harakaku this! He has taught me to swim by myself. Once I remember he suggested everyone’s name but mine for the role of a heroine in a film. He believed that if I were chosen, it had to be on merit and not because I had a father in the industry. That has helped me build my self-respect. Baba had done it from scratch and which is why I have a huge respect for people who don’t come from film families. I was 10 steps ahead because I did not have to go for auditions or send across profile pictures.
Ranjit Mallick: Aami mone prane cheyechhilam, aar paanch jon meye je bhabe korchhe, Koel o shebhabe korbe. I will teach you as much as I can as a father, but push kora is out of the question. It is the choice of the director and the producer. No matter how famous your parents are, you have to make it on your own. You can’t get roles your entire life just because you are some famous person’s child. You have to work hard and if you commit, you will taste success.
What gave you the belief that Koel will make a mark?
Ranjit Mallick: She could mimic very well. If you can mimic someone well, there has to be acting ability in you. That confidence I had, but still there was an apprehension as a father because it depends on lakhs of people, whether they will like her or not, but people accepted her so well.
Did you have tips for her as an actor?
Koel: There are so many ways to deliver a dialogue. I would often ask him if I should say my lines a certain way. Or, even for scripts he has never said don’t do this. He has explained options and then left it to me. Baba has never been judgmental, which is why I have also accepted people the way they are.
Do you mostly run your scripts by Ranjit sir?
Koel: That would happen a lot initially. Then after a point, you do understand the audience’s likes and dislikes and things I might or might not want to do. Now, more than scripts, it is about life. Like I watched Aparajito (by Anik Dutta) and loved it and then I told baba to go and watch it. We discuss frames and moments. I don’t think I can converse about certain nuances with many people. We are on the same frequency of emotions.
When you watch Koel on screen, is it difficult to evaluate her performance?
Ranjit Mallick: Then I am watching the character, not Koel, my daughter. I loved her in Bony (by Parambrata Chattopadhyay) recently. I have told places where I haven’t liked her.
Koel: Absolute critic. There will be people who will say good things. When he likes something, he really appreciates. Of late, thankfully the number of my errors have gone down (laughs).
Ranjit Mallick: You have to appreciate too because otherwise how else will someone get encouraged?
What have been your tips to Koel for handling disappointments?
Ranjit Mallick: Someone once told me: ‘Have you seen a tubri (fireworks)? It goes up to a certain height and then it descends’. It happens with everyone. So, you must be prepared. This is inevitable.
Are there things Koel should not do?
Koel: Difficult for him to say! Impossible! Etota badhyo and bhalo meye hote pare na! Change korar jaygai nei!
Ranjit Mallick: Tui all perfect?!
Koel: 100 out of 100.
Ranjit Mallick: Only 30 out of 100! (Laughs)
Koel: Keno go?!
What are your dreams for Koel?
Ranjit Mallick: Chheleke bhalo kore manush korbe. Chhele khub bhalo toiri hobe. You must think about everyone else too.
Koel: I have grown up in a joint family and got married into one too; we know what family addas and laughter is. Baba has always been a family man and I see the same qualities in Rane (Nispal Singh; husband and producer).
Ranjit Mallick: Rane thinks about everyone. I value it a lot.
So, he has a pass mark from you?
Ranjit Mallick: Hundred per cent!
Koel: Kono kichhu holei bolbe, Rane thik bolchhe!
Your dad has been your hero, Koel. What is your message for him?
Koel: I am enormously fortunate. He’s shown me the way so well. I only wish him health and happiness. He is always in my prayers as my mother and all my near and dear ones are.
A Ranjit Mallick film you love:
Koel: There are so many! Shatru is my favourite. Shakha Proshakha, Mouchak, Shathe Shathyang.... When I watched Interview (by Mrinal Sen, which marked Ranjit Mallick’s debut and won him the International Best Actor award from Karlovy Vary) for the first time, I hadn’t understood much. I understood later when I started understanding cinema. Baba completed 50 years in his career in 2020 and we wanted Tarakar Mrityu, directed by Haranath Chakraborty and starring Ritwick (Chakraborty) and Parno (Mittrah), to release that year, but we couldn’t due to the pandemic, but it will release anytime now. He plays an investigative officer. I am super excited and I have watched it a couple of times and loved it. He may have done lots of roles, but him as a police inspector remains a favourite.
A Koel Mallick film you love:
Ranjit Mallick: I loved the last three-four films like Rawkto Rawhoshyo (by Soukarya Ghosal), Mitin Mashi (by Arindam Sil) and Bony. Karur-e shob chhobi shoman bhalo hoy na. That holds true for me too.
Koel guesses...
Ranjit Mallick’s favourite actor:
Koel: Uttam Kumar. He has always looked up to him not only as an actor but also as a person.
Ranjit Mallick’s favourite actress:
Ranjit Mallick: 100 actresses! Don’t tell your mother! (Laughs)
Koel: I won’t! (Laughs) He speaks highly of Waheeda Rehman.
Ranjit Mallick’s favourite director:
Koel: He has a lot of special emotions for Mrinal Sen because he started his career with him....
Ranjit Mallick: Of course, there is Satyajit Ray....