Shontaan will embolden my image as an actor: Ritwick Chakraborty

Q. How was collaborating with someone like Mithun Chakraborty?

A. One of the primary reasons for me to work in the film was the opportunity to collaborate with a stalwart like Mithun Chakraborty. As an actor, we don't come across such an opportunity often. We have plenty of intense scenes and sequences as the father-son duo in the film. It's a reward for me. It's undoubtedly one of my biggest achievements to share screen space with someone like him.

Ritwick Chakraborty and Mithun Chakraborty in Shontaan | Photo courtesy: SVF

Q. What was your headspace to slip into this role of someone who is abandoning his parents?

A. We all are familiar with such characters in fragments. We come across such people in our personal lives so they are not strangers to us. These people are primarily selfish in their own nature. Contrary to what the world believes, they try to establish rationale behind their behaviours. Strictly speaking from the point of view of the story, the character is such that it must be despised by the audience. This was the kind of mindset I had while approaching the role. Apart from that, I remain spontaneous while acting.

Q. Raj Chakraborty said in an interview that several actors had turned down the offer considering the role with negative shades. Do you think it's your strength that you view any character on its merits unlike your contemporaries?

A. That's how it should be. My primary goal is to play a character. Now if someone turns down a character considering it not worthy enough or not in tandem with his image, it's his personal decision. But I am known for my acting skills and essaying diverse characters on screen. My role in Shontaan will only embolden my actor's image which I am known for.

Q. Take us through your partnership with Raj Chakraborty over the years?

A. I think it's Raj's vision that he could imagine me in diverse roles. He has always offered me roles which are very challenging. I enjoy it even more when I am completely unfamiliar with the kind of roles offered to me. It's challenging but fun too. This is also my craving as an actor. I have never been stranger to the roles Raj had offered me but I never imagined myself playing those on screen. I am glad that I could satisfy him as an actor. Raj, who is known for his commercial films, has evolved with time. His films have evolved too. He is always in search of a new storyline eventually leading to his growth as a filmmaker.

(From L to R) Raj Chakraborty, Mithun Chakraborty and Ritwick Chakraborty during making of Shontaan | Photo courtesy: Ritwick Chakraborty Facebook page

Q. From Srijit Mukherji to Kaushik Ganguly to Raj Chakraborty, you have worked with varied filmmakers over the years. How do you adapt to their mode of work?

A. I always feel fortunate to work with important directors and in films which have excelled in their own merits. I have worked with reputed as well as newcomers who have stunned the audience with their work. It's always a wish for an actor to collaborate with diverse filmmakers to avoid getting typecast. Filmmakers look for variation from actors like us who are known for essaying characters while big stars are expected to portray certain qualities on screen. It's my professional duty to fulfill such demands.

Q. Indranil Roychowdhury had once asked you to keep your role 'half-boiled'. Did that influence your role?

A. It is the director's responsibility to set the tone of a film and scale of acting. Unlike people in other occupations, actors can't give one idea about their job. The definition of an actor's job varies from one professional to the other. While some may say an actor's job is to portray the characters with deftness, others may argue that his/her task is to communicate the director's vision to the audience in a single tone. Actors always have an internal conflict about their functioning in a film.

Q. What influences you in acting at the present moment?

A. The most important aspect for me is how I am preserving myself in my own understanding of society. After working for years now, anything can inspire me as an actor. It's important for me to preserve myself to understand a character.

Q. What's your plan for national OTT?

A. Yes, I have been in talks on and off but nothing fructified as of now. I don't see myself turning into a hardcore Hindi actor but open to work outside Bengal if opportunities come. It's not my priority to work in Mumbai. I am primarily a Bengali actor. I believe I need to have a strong hold over the language in which the story is being told.