The last decade turned out to be very special for Prosenjit. His success mantra centred on various things — from changing with the times, reinventing himself constantly to collaborating with a new wave of directors with fresh ideas. Now Prosenjit starts off 2022 in a big way with Srijit Mukherji’s Kakababur Protyaborton, which releases in Bengali and Hindi on February 4. A chat with Prosenjit...
With the film releasing, what are your thoughts now?
A Kakababu film always comes with huge expectations. The visuals are really good. The canvas is bigger now… the audience waits eagerly for Kakababu. From all the characters which I’ve played on screen in the last 38 years of my career, Kakababu is one of my favourites. The adventure-loving Kakababu is no less than a superhero because of the way he handles all the dangerous and life-threatening situations while solving a mystery.
Kakababur Protyaborton is extensively shot in the jungles of Africa in the Masai Mara National Reserve. How was your shooting experience this time?
Shooting for the Kakababu films has always been very tough, challenging. We would start off around 3.30am and reach the locations by 4.30am. We would spot a herd of animals who would come around that time as dawn broke. We also had to wait a lot… for the right moment. Sometimes we would get really lucky while on other days it wouldn’t pan out the way we thought it would happen. To shoot one particular scene we had to wait for five-six days.
Did anything surprise you?
There was a moment with a cheetah. However, we were not supposed to be in the scene with the cheetah. The team was supposed to take solo shots of the cheetah and then later shoot our portions separately. From the jeep where we were sitting, we could see the cheetah roaming around… there was a man with him, the handler. The cheetah went up on a tree… doing his thing… when suddenly Srijit, seeing how calm the cheetah was, decided to include us in the scene. We started our walk… the cheetah initially didn’t even look at us. As we walked we made a sudden gesture. And that’s when he spotted us! The cheetah came down from the tree and quietly walked towards us. Aryann (Bhowmick) and I stood still. The cheetah came close to us, sniffed, lingered for a few seconds and then walked away. Imagine!
Another day, we got into a jeep and started travelling to film water buffaloes. We travelled around for a long time. At some places we managed to get a few shots but they were really far away. They are usually together in a group. Finally at one point of time we stopped the jeep and were about to turn around. As we looked around we realised that we were surrounded by a herd of water buffaloes. Maybe there were around 30 of them. Kakababu shoots are all about new experiences.
How was it working with Srijit this time?
During the shoot he was really calm and composed. That’s really good. He was very friendly with the team.
Was there ever an occasion when you said that you would not do something?
Quite a few (laughs). But with Srijit the no turns to yes! If I have to do something, I go ahead with it, instead of getting into the yes-no space. Even during Yeti Obhijaan I knew it was really dangerous while we were walking towards a certain part of the mountain. The locals kept saying it might get dangerous whereas Srijit kept saying, ‘Walk on!’ Shooting a Kakababu film has always been very adventurous but there is an element of risk involved. We have always performed our own scenes even in the scariest of situations so that everything looks real and authentic. I have walked on mountains with a camera tied to my foot.
How much time did it take to master the walk again?
I can do it instinctively. Just like people don’t forget how to swim, if I am given the crutch now, I can walk the Kakababu walk for as long as you want. To walk that walk is really challenging. Throughout the shoot I was walking on that one leg supported by one hand.
How did you prepare for it?
Before Mishawr Rawhoshyo I remember I spent almost three months on preparations… getting the walk right, the look right. Now Kakababu is with me. Once I put on my glasses and get the look, I can get into the Kakababu mindset. My approach changes. The way I behave becomes different. It has become part of a habit. The bond that he shares with Santu comes through immediately. Before the shoot, I walk around with the crutch for seven-eight days now.
You shot for a national web show in Mumbai. Jisshu Sengupta, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Tota Roy Choudhury, Saswata Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee, Paoli Dam, Rukmini Maitra and Abir Chatterjee are also acting in Hindi films and web shows. How do you see this development?
That’s a really good sign... it signals the growth of the industry. Srijit is directing films there. Debaloy (Bhattacharya) is directing a web series. People are talking highly of everyone. Rukmini (Maitra) made an impressive Hindi debut there. It is very important to have this national exposure. We have the talent here... once the national projects come here that will lead to growth. It’ll be great for our artistes and technicians.
The casting directors there are also in the know. The moment they’ll spot an interesting piece of work they’ll google up all information and watch the films on the web to know the background of an artiste. It’s a great time for our artistes and they should explore it more. Let us celebrate this moment and celebrate Bangla cinema. When I was doing my golden and silver jubilee films, I also acted in Rituparno Ghosh films knowing very well that they would give me a different level of recognition.
You are acting in films produced by Dev and Jeet’s production houses...
I was so happy when I got the calls. I am so proud that I am being signed by my younger brothers. We all are together, and that’s such a great message for all. Such collaborations should happen more... that’s the way forward.
What made you say yes to the web series directed by Vikramaditya Motwane?
Because of the director. He is one of the finest directors. He is a wonderful person and my co-actors showered me with so much love and respect. It is an amazing team. We did workshops for a month. During shoot we would all arrive on set at 8am for blocking or scene marking. Once that got over then the actors would go for their make-up and then the shoot would begin.
Picture: Pabitra Das