‘Better to start with 3 flops than get everything served on a platter’

Unlike most celebrities, actor Saswata Chatterjee is rarely seen glued to a mobile screen, whether on set or during shoots. He even prefers cash transactions, admitting he isn’t too quick with phone-based payments. Yet in an age driven by digitisation, he continues to bag major projects, be it in Bengal, Mumbai or South. At first glance, Saswata comes across as someone always ready with a joke, but his seriousness surfaces when he talks about not giving his daughter, Hiya, any shortcuts in the film industry.

The ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ actor believes it’s better to begin with three flops than to have success handed over effortlessly. Saswata now steps into the quirky universe of Eken Babu in the new Bengali film ‘The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika’, where he plays a master of disguise. He’s also shooting alongside Ajay Devgn in ‘Ranger’ and a Telugu film with 'Daaku Maharaaj' Nandamuri Balakrishna.

Amid his whirlwind schedule, we caught up with the actor in Kolkata on a sultry afternoon. Excerpts from the conversation:

You’re stepping into the world of ‘The Eken’ as Belal Mallik and playing 11 different characters!

Yes. Actually, every time something new happens, Belal takes on a different look. Say, someone witnesses one incident and sees a face and when the next incident happens, it’s a different face. That creates confusion. Honestly, getting to play so many characters in a single film is rare. I remember watching ‘Naya Din Nai Raat’ as a kid, where Sanjeev Kumar played nine roles. Kamal Haasan also played 10 roles in ‘Dasavatharam’.

But this isn’t your first time juggling multiple characters. You did do something similar in ‘Baari Tar Bangla’ (2014)?

Yes, in ‘Baari Tar Bangla’, I played everything from a toddler to an old man. So yeah, switching to different avatars isn’t new to me.

In ‘The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika’, we see you jump from a quirky Goan to a humble policeman to a loud Punjabi man. That’s quite a range.

Exactly. The transformations are very sharp. It adds to the mystery and keeps the audience guessing.

This ‘Eken’ film was shot in Benaras. When was the last time you visited Benaras before shooting for ‘The Eken’?

It was way back, during the shoot of Feluda for ‘Golapi Mukta Rahasya’. That was around 1999, I think.

What changes did you notice this time?

A lot, actually. The ghats have been redone, but the soul of Benaras is the same - the narrow lanes, the buzz, the vibe. But what truly surprised me was Masaan Holi. It’s played with ashes on the ghats of Manikarnika. The energy there is something else… It felt like a whole different kind of cosplay. I don’t think it’s been shown in a Bengali film before. Maybe not even in Indian cinema.

You’ve watched all the ‘Eken Babu’ series, haven’t you?

Of course! Eken Babu is a household name. I’ve watched all the episodes and the films. I really enjoy them.

You were recently shooting in Ooty with Ajay Devgn for ‘Ranger’.

Yes, it’s my first time acting with Ajay Devgn. Rohini Hattangadi is also in the film. What an actress! We even celebrated her 75th birthday on set.

You’ve done big Hindi and South Indian projects like ‘Crew’, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ and ‘The Night Manager’, but you still haven’t shifted base to Mumbai.

I’ve never felt the need. Even Farah Khan recently told me, “You should at least rent a place here!” But I always tell people that if I live in Mumbai for five years, I’ll spend 2.5 years stuck in traffic. Also, our concept of ‘evening’ in Kolkata is around 7-8 pm. In Mumbai, it starts at 11 pm. And honestly, most big-budget films and web series don’t shoot much in Mumbai anymore - only indoor scenes. Like ‘The Night Manager’ was shot in Sri Lanka, Manali and Rajasthan. Of course, the indoor scenes were filmed in Mumbai. Plus, I work in the South, too. I’m doing a Telugu film with Nandamuri Balakrishna (of ‘Daaku Maharaaj’ fame).

And you still manage all this without being glued to your mobile?

(Smiles) I do use a mobile, but when I’m shooting, it’s off. In Kolkata, you don’t need a phone all the time. Of course, you need the phone when you need to call the driver for the car. My manager takes care of all the out-of-town work.

But these days, everyone’s doing online payments via phone.

I’m not great with that stuff. My wife handles most of it. And when I have to, I still prefer cash.

With a number of Bengali actors working in Mumbai, how’s the vibe?

They genuinely respect Bengali actors for their strong grounding in art and culture. I’ve met Bengalis in almost every department… Singers, scriptwriters, editors and sound engineers. The list goes on.

Your performance as Bagha in ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ got a lot of love. It had a bunch of Bengali actors and researchers, but why didn’t a Bengali filmmaker make it first?

The answer’s simple. In Kolkata, our budgets are limited. Without a bigger market or funding, it’s tough to match that scale. We are making good content, but if you want grandeur, you need money. For example, an entire web series in Bengali can be made on the budget that was allocated for our stay during the filming of ‘The Night Manager’.

But bigger budgets often mean tighter schedules and these days in Bengal, films are being made within two weeks.

Exactly. If I’m shooting 17 hours a day for 10 days straight, I won’t enjoy it anymore. I might lose interest. And I’ve also realised that if your film doesn’t look grand enough, people won’t pay to watch it in theatres. They’ll just wait for it to come on OTT. And if a film feels like a glorified telefilm, they will again wait for it to come on OTT.

You often talk about ticket prices in your interviews.

It’s not just the ticket - it’s everything around it. I used to buy a packet of chips for Rs 2 as a kid. Now, popcorn prices are sky-high. Even if the film is two hours and 15 minutes long, you need to pay for parking for three hours. Add snacks, fuel… It’s expensive. Nobody wants to talk about these things, but they matter.

In this era of reels, do you think cinema or art is losing out?

Definitely. And not just cinema, almost everything. We used to enjoy test matches. Now it’s all about T20 and T10.

But casting now is based on reels and follower count.

That’s true. But everything has a result. Good or bad, time will tell.

Also, almost every big Bengali actor or director has their own production house. Did you ever consider starting one?

Nope. Too much hassle. Running a production house means managing a whole team and I don’t want that stress. As long as I can keep acting, I’m happy. If I get a week off after a shoot, I start planning my next trip. I’ve always believed that I can’t do everything and I don’t want to.

Legacy Continues

You entered the industry with the weight of your father, Subhendu Chatterjee’s legacy. But that ‘star kid’ tag didn’t stick for long.

TV helped me a lot in the beginning.

Now your daughter, Hiya, is stepping into the industry. Is the pressure double, being both Subhendu Chatterjee’s granddaughter and Saswata Chatterjee’s daughter?

I told her the same thing I’ve always believed - do your work honestly and don’t worry about the rest. My father never recommended me to any producer and I won’t do it for her either. She made her own portfolio and visited production houses. She needs to prove herself. I won’t launch her. In fact, I told her, ‘It’s better to start with three flops than get everything served on a platter’.