Audience makes or breaks a star: Abir Chatterjee

Popular Bengali actor Abir Chatterjee feels his female fans will steer away if two-three films bomb at the box office.

“Yes I enjoyed the adulation at film promos of ‘Har Har Byomkesh’, ‘Kathmundu’ or ‘Badshahi Angti’ in past. But if the wish to click selfie with me does not get translated into the wish to book tickets for three more upcoming films, I will be stuck in the 2015 selfie mode. This is true for each and every actor,” Abir said.

“The yardstick of stardom hinges on the reaction of the audience, I feel good but you need to watch my films,” Abir said.

The actor, who will not enter into any comparison with Jisshu Sengupta as the new sleuth in Anjan Dutta's “Byomkesh Baksi”, said he was thankful to the directors for offering him different shades of roles.

“The director is always important for me - be it Sandip Ray, Arindam Sil (Har Har Byomkesh), Srijit Mukherjee or Ranjan Ghosh (who had directed Hrid Majharey inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth),” he said.

Asked if the success of a film depends more on the popularity of an actor since the audience accepted him both as Feluda in “Badshahi Angti” and Byomkesh Bakshi in “Har Har Byomkesh”, Abir said, “The credit for a film’s success goes to the director.”

Asked about his chemistry with Raima Sen, with whom he had worked in five films including the upcoming Sandip Ray film, Abir said, “I don’t believe two actors have to be real life friends to show on screen chemistry.

“Had it been so, then I would have to commit three real life murders to portray the character of a contract killer in a film. But yes, if you understand your co-actor then it helps in gauging each other's response during dialogue delivery during shots,” he said.

Happy with the success of “Har Har Byomkesh”, which was enjoying full shows since its mid-December release, Abir said, “I think there is no contradiction in portraying Feluda and Byomkesh at the same time. Today's audience don't slot an actor in one role.”

The actor is currently dubbing for his upcoming film “Manchora” by Sandip Ray to be released in January next year.