When senior directors didn't hear me, I started working with newcomers: Dev
kolkata: Housefull boards, luxury apartment, Mahanayak award, blockbusters, MP post and love of audience — Dev has it all. But what if we tell you that your favourite actor-politician still had to pop pills at one point of time to get a good night's sleep? Surprised?
Depression is common. Depression is real. The sooner you address, the better you feel. This is exactly what actor-producer Dev has tried to say through his recent release — 'Kacher Manush', which also stars Prosenjit Chatterjee. In the Bengali film, directed by Pathikrit Basu, Dev's character Kuntal will have to choose between life and death and this is where Prosenjit, who plays an insurance agent, enters the frame. He will help Kuntal to overcome suicidal thoughts.
"Depression is the most common disease worldwide. When my name was announced as TMC's candidate for the Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency, I had just given the biggest hit of the career, 'Chander Pahar.' Then, several films of mine crashed at the box office. Many said that Dev's career is over. I went into depression and had sleepless nights. I had asked the doctor to prescribe pills to help me sleep. Now, four of my last releases have worked at the box office. In 2021, several of my industry colleagues who had then said my career was over after joining politics, jumped the bandwagon. It's on us to conquer depression. But we all need someone who will support us throughoutthis journey of loneliness. 'Kacher Manush' is an inspiring film," said Dev, who is presently holidaying in Greece and Italy.
His last four films — 'Sanjhbati' (2019), 'Golondaaj' (2021), 'Tonic' (2021), 'Kishmish' (2022) — have done well at the box office.
This is not the first time the actor-turned-politician has teamed up with Prosenjit in a film. Earlier, they worked in Cockpit and Zulfiqar. While in Srijit Mukherji's Zulfiqar, they didn't have many scenes together, in Cockpit the miss-and-blink appearance didn't leave Prosenjit happy. But all that's past now. In fact, when Dev heard the story of 'Kacher Manush', he knew he would only produce the film if Prosenjit agreed. "I knew that if Bumbada was not part of 'Kacher Manush', I wouldn't be making it," he said.
For the past few years, Dev has distanced himself from the "hardcore" 'masala' films, which were a mere copy-paste of South Indian movies. But there was a time when those films smashed all records at box office. Today, Dev knows it's time to evolve. But then, that doesn't mean he wouldn't do "commercial" films. Just come to him with meaningful content, and he is game. "I broke the barrier as a commercial hero in Bengal. I know if given the opportunity, all commercial movie actors can do the same. There was a time when I used to call up Srijit, Kaushik Ganguly and seek work. I have no shame in asking for work. When senior directors didn't hear me, I started working with newcomers in back-to-back films. Nobody could think that Pathikrit, who made 'Haripada Bandwala', could churn out something like 'Kacher Manush.' So, I am happy working with the newcomers," he said.
