I love the people of Bangladesh, eager to work here: Ritwick Chakraborty

Can anyone forget Madhu from "Nagarkirtan", a flute player who loves a transgender woman? Who hasn't felt touched by the economic struggles of the man in "Asha Jaoar Majhe", resembling that of any typical Bengali man? Was there ever a character in Bengali cinema like the caretaker in "Nirbaak"?

The man behind these classic performances is Ritwick Chakraborty, one the most versatile and talented actors of Bangla cinema. He is currently visiting Dhaka for the premier of his movie "Mayar Jonjal" where he plays opposite Aupee Karim. I'm an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, he talks about acting, cinema and more.

You come from a non-film background. You've worked in diverse jobs, from canvassing to doing magic shows. Do you think these diversified experiences helped you become the versatile, talented actor that you are today? Would you elaborate on the environmental and philosophical influences on your art?

All these had a lot of impact on my work. I think the way I grew up and the way I got meet with people, observe life had enriched me as an actor and helped me understand audiences. I could understand the needs of life. An actor should meet a lot people and understand life and society.

You've mentioned previously that your struggle as a newcomer in this industry was crucial to you. What would be your advice to youngsters who are struggling?

I worked as a medical representative and didn't like the job at all. I knew I couldn't do that all my life and so I decided to take a risk. I left my job, and didn't really plan to be an actor. My love and appreciation for acting lead me to a journey. This path to be a professional was muddled with a lot of neglect. All of these made me a stronger human. The perspectives these created was crucial to having an understanding as an actor.

A lot of actors fear getting "typecast". But from playing a necrophile to a serial killer, you've never shied away from unconventional roles. What do you think before choosing a character?

I fear being repetitive as an actor. If I'm not too conscious, I might repeat myself. So before choosing a character, I wonder if I've played a similar character before. Honestly, I must consider myself lucky for receiving diverse roles that conventionally many actors don't get. But I've played a lot of marginal, psychologically traumatized characters. So I consider this. But apart from these, I consider who the director is. Sometimes I've worked because I knew the project was interesting, and I wanted to be a part of it. Of course, I consider my role first, actors are selfish that way. (Laughs) But yes, who the director is, how well the project is, all these impact crucially.

The level of conviction that each of your performances has, is unparalleled. How do you prepare yourself before any performance?

The work determines the preparation. I acted in this Hindi movie, "The Violin Player", where I played the character of a person who plays violin in chorus. He came to Mumbai with a lot of aspirations, but couldn't achieve much and now plays in chorus for background scores. As an individual, I've never played an instrument since childhood and I don't understand tunes much. So, characters like this require special preparation.

I didn't learn violin, but to make acting convincing, I took some training. Each character has its own demands. In "Mayar Jonjal" I play Chandu, a marginalis.ed person. Despite struggling economically, he doesn't want his wife, played by Aupee Karim, to work. We have seen such people in real life. Hurt by male ego, he maneuvers life. So, while playing this character, I didn't take any such preparation alone. But we sat with our director Indranil Roychowdhury to understand his demands from this character. We talked about aspects of family and society. So I don't have a method as such. Sometimes I think of a backstory, sometimes I don't. 

We've always known about a distinction between mainstream cinema and art films. Do you think that divide is breaking down? What does this mean for the art of filmmaking and business of the industry?

Yes, it is breaking down to an extent. But a mass attracting typical commercial movie will always stay distinct. A story portraying real life will not usually attract mass immensely, because in this subcontinent, commercial movies have a certain flavour, which won't go away. But it is true that new genres of movies are being made and watched. There is an audience for such work, and that can be felt. So even though the distinction is there, a new path has been created strongly. But the post-covid world has taken a new trajectory, people are undergoing economic difficulties. In lockdown, people have adapted to watching OTT. In my opinion, that too will impact the business of filmmaking.

How will this trend of OTT impact filmmaking?

This will certainly have a deep impact. Technology will keep on evolving. OTT is a new platform and it will only get stronger with time. In cinema, a lot of factors contribute. But OTT is performance-oriented and actors have an important role to play. Stories are told elaborately, and there is way more scope to perform. A lot of work has been generated for OTT and overall, it evokes hope. It is challenging to cinema but if technology evolves, so will industries. I don't think there is anything to worry in this regard.

Mrinal Sen once told you that had he been physically fit, he would've worked with you. So, among the directors with whom you could actually work, who is your favorite?

There are many, I shouldn't name one. Kaushik Ganguly is one of my favorites, and I've worked in multiple movies with him, all of which were loved by audiences. I've worked with Pradipta Bhattacharyya in "Bakita Byaktigato" and some TV works. I've worked in three movies of Indranil Roychowdhury, the director of "Mayar Jonjal". I've worked in only one of Bauddhayan Mukherji, "The Violin Player" but he is a favorite too. I also enjoyed working with Aditya Vikram Sengupta. I've worked only in one of his projects, but his movie is truly a director's film.

We love each of your characters. But to you personally, which character played by you is your favorite?

I don't like watching my own acting. (Laughs) I keep noticing flaws, and can't enjoy. I can only watch with a distance, after a long time since the performance. But there are some characters I like. Pramit of "Bakita Byaktigato", a documentary filmmaker eager to find out how love happens, is one such character. Tarak, a foley artist, I played in "Shabdo" is also a favorite. I also like the character in "Jyeshthoputro".

What kind of cinema do you yourself enjoy?

As an audience I would say I enjoy watching the kind of movies we work in, the kind which is not typically commercial. I enjoy the works of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil I'm not a hardcore audience of commerical movies, I watch them out of curiosity.

What is "Mayar Jonjal" about? What can the audiences expect from this movie?

I think the people portrayed in this movie are not usually depicted in our works. Even for a marginalized person, somewhere down the line, the main struggles of life are not economic. Those are universal. The love for family, personal ego, helpless in life are common emotions. We all know about loving out of hatred, hating out of love. All these evolve into a brilliant story in this movie. This movie is set in Kolkata, but not the Kolkata that comes to our mind when we hear the word. This city, like others, is expanding and this burgeoning part has a different character from the rest. "Mayar Jonjal" is a tale close to real life. It is a tale of time. The movie is inspired from two stories by Manik Bandopadhyay from the 1950s, when India was a newly liberated state. That context is no more existent. And yet this captures the present. I believe audiences will relate to this story and like the movie.

How was your experience in this joint production of India-Bangladesh? Where do you see the future of such works?

I enjoyed working in the movie. I also think more such joint productions should be done. These two countries share the same language and culture and so we should share ideas and thoughts even more. So this is crucial to Bangla culture.

Where do you think the trend of growing OTT platforms witnessing joint ventures and cultural exchange leads to?

People of these two countries love the actors and works of each other. So, these joint ventures are crucial. As an actor, I can say I want to work in Bangladesh. Many actors from Bangladesh are working in Kolkata too, be it Jaya, Chanchal Da and others. OTT has expanded this path to enrich the culture. And I'm very hopeful.

You're a role model to a new genre of actors. What would be your advice to youngsters?

I don't know if I've reached a position to advise others. But I must say actors need to undergo a certain training. But training alone is not enough, one needs to have his own philosophy, ideology and awareness of the world around him. This understanding will set one apart. Finally, acting is a communication with audiences. This has its own tricks. But how one should undertake this, requires an understanding of life.

How is the person Ritwick in real apart from the one we see in reels?

I'm a very lazy person. (Laughs) Besides work, I mostly spend time with my family. I really like travelling and go for vacations. Aside from my friends in the industry, I have a lot of other friends. Staying in the cinema bubble brings a monotonicity in discussions. I mix with different kinds of people. My real life is not very glamorous, and I enjoy it thoroughly.

We at Bangladesh love and adore you. What will you say to your Bangladeshi fans?

I also love Bangladeshi people. I'm really enjoying the fact that watching Bangladeshi works has become easier. I'm very glad that this movie being released simultaneously in India and Bangladesh. This makes me very happy that audiences can directly watch my work here. Do come to the hall to watch this movie. And I'm eager to work in Bangladesh.