I’m not in any race or number game: Prosenjit Chatterjee

Meet Prosenjit Chatterjee and chances are you’ll find him in a brand-new look. If not for a film, he’s probably experimenting for the next one. Guessing his age is a futile exercise because the moment he starts talking about cinema, his face lights up with the excitement of a child. The reigning superstar of Bengali cinema has done it all - hardcore commercial entertainers, middle-of-the-road gems and now OTT as well. One look at his career graph and you’ll know, he simply refuses to be put in a box. His recent turn as the shrewd politician Barun Roy in ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ was just another reminder of why he remains ‘Mr Dependable’. This Durga Puja, Prosenjit steps into the shoes of legendary warrior Bhabani Pathak, who plays a pivotal role in shaping Prafulla into the bandit queen Devi Chowdhurani.

‘Millennium Post’ catches up with the ‘forever young Bumbada’ for a candid chat on cinema, his vision for the Bengali film industry and what still drives him.

The film is releasing around the time of your birthday (September 30). Since the beginning of your career, many of your films have released during Durga Puja.

Actually, my birthday mostly falls around Durga Puja. If I remember correctly, both ‘Dawshom Awbotaar’ and ‘22 e Srabon’ had birthday celebrations post-release. This year, my birthday is on Ashtami. So, may the Goddess bless us all and my film ‘Devi Chowdhurani’.

In 2023, you had Bengali releases like ‘Kaberi Antardhan’, ‘Shesh Pata’ and ‘Dawshom Awbotaar’. In 2024, only ‘Ajogyo’. And in 2025, so far, just ‘Devi Chowdhurani’. Does this mean fewer Bengali films, as you seem to be spending more time in Mumbai?

Not at all. (Cuts in). Actually, Devi ‘Chowdhurani’ wasn’t even planned as a Puja release. Films like Kakababu are always positioned for Puja. Last year, we couldn’t start shooting for a film (read the Rahul Mukherjee film with Anirban Bhattacharya, which got stalled due to the Federation-directors stalemate). Otherwise, that too would have been a Puja release. Now, the next Kakababu action-adventure, ‘Bijoynagarer Hirey’, will release during Christmas. Then Pavel’s ‘Daktar Kaku’ will come early next year. And there’s also a Srijit Mukherji film. I usually have two releases in Bengal every year. And of course, my heart is always in Kolkata. But yes, Mumbai keeps me busy too.

So, can we expect your next collaboration with Srijit Mukherji to arrive during Puja 2026, given the enviable box office record of your Puja releases with him, starting with ‘Autograph’?

That I really can’t say. I am not an actor-producer. I’ve never been that. We sit together and decide. I can’t take those calls alone. Maybe Srijit’s film will release in December 2026, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Of course, audiences wait for our Puja collaborations. Next year, I might also do a film with Atanu Ghosh. That’s the hunger I still carry as an actor.

Your last work with Atanu Ghosh was ‘Shesh Pata’. Over the years, your collaborations with him, like ‘Mayurakhi’, ‘Robibaar’ and ‘Shesh Pata’ have been critically acclaimed.

Yes and that itself becomes a challenge. The kind of characters directors like Atanu or Srijit throw at me are difficult to surpass. But we always strive to push beyond. After ‘Mayurakhi’ and ‘Shesh Pata’, even Atanu wants something that will surpass our earlier ventures.

In Subhrajit Mitra’s period film ‘Devi Chowdhurani’, you play Bhabani Pathak, a legendary warrior and an integral character in the protagonist’s journey. What drew you to this role?

The primary reason was that this is a Bengali story, rooted in Bengal, meant for a Bengali audience. At this stage in my career, yes, I do some films for the box office, but I balance those with projects that feed my hunger as an actor. With over 350 films behind me, I still calculate what I haven’t done. When ‘Devi Chowdhurani’ came to me, I realised I’ve worked on Tagore’s works but never on Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. For a Bengali, being part of a project linked to such literary stalwarts is an honour. Like I often tell Babu da (Sandip Ray), even if it’s just one scene, please include me in a Ray adaptation. To work on a story by Satyajit Ray would be a huge achievement for me. I no longer have anything to prove. I’m not in the race or the number game. What drives me now is doing characters that excite me, so that my audience stays entertained. Bhabani Pathak is a spiritual practitioner with a love for music, but also a warrior. I’ve played Lalon Fakir, a spiritual musician and Netaji in ‘Gumnaami’. How blessed I am to portray such iconic characters. They are tough, but they also come with responsibility. Subhrajit even told me he wouldn’t make the film if I didn’t play Bhabani Pathak.

In 1974’s ‘Devi Chowdhurani’ directed by Dinen Gupta, Basanta Chowdhury played Bhabani Pathak opposite Suchitra Sen.

Yes, Basanta Chowdhury was exceptional. People will always remember his portrayal. But that film focused solely on Prafulla’s journey to becoming a bandit queen. Our canvas is wider - it explores the British East India Company and the Sannyasi-Fakir Rebellion. Apart from Srabanti (who plays the protagonist) and me, both Arjun Chakraborty and Bibriti Chatterjee have outdone themselves.

Playing Bhabani Pathak must have required both research and physical agility.

Absolutely. The film uses a lot of Sanskrit, something rare in recent cinemas. The Bengali meanings are beautifully blended in. And yes, after a long time, I’ve done action sequences.

But action has always been your forte. You’ve done countless action films.

(Laughs) True, I’ve lost count! I can still choreograph and perform one right now. But in ‘Devi Chowdhurani’, the action is different. It has elements of martial arts and the sequences are not about a single hero versus villain. It’s about a collective fight, captured that way.

Your film will clash with Dev-starrer ‘Raghu Dakat’ this Puja. Both are period dramas with seemingly similar templates. In such a scenario, do you think the clash could have been avoided?

As I said earlier, ‘Devi Chowdhurani’ was never meant for Puja. It was originally planned for Independence Day and that’s why we released the teaser then. Later, the release shifted to Puja. Everyone wants to bring their best films out during this time. But delaying further would’ve affected the film’s resonance. It’s a big-budget project with an international team of producers. Yes, ‘Raghu Dakat’ is also a period film, but I believe our audiences are both the same and different. ‘Devi Chowdhurani’ will attract those curious about Bengal’s history. Ultimately, the audience decides. Some films will race ahead. But all four Puja releases are our films, the industry’s films. I can’t differentiate.

Recently, the West Bengal government mandated daily prime-time screenings of at least one Bengali film in all cinema halls and multiplexes in the state.

I’m grateful to the CM. I didn’t attend the meeting since I’m not a producer, but I was the first signatory on the letter to her. We wanted a system that lasts, not just for festive seasons. So that even small films like ‘Onko Ki Kothin’ benefit.

Looking Forward

The CM also mentioned your plans to turn small auditoriums into theatres across Bengal so that Bengali films reach the grassroots.

Yes, we’re working on it. Even if it’s after I’m gone, it will benefit the future of Bengali cinema. Imagine if 100 such theatres come up, 90 of them will give priority to Bengali films. That’s the idea. It’s for the next generation.

There was also talk about your Hindi directorial venture.

Yes, the script is nearly locked. It’s based on a chapter from Bengal’s history. But recently, I saw a teaser of an OTT project that seemed to touch on a similar subject. I need to check it fully. If the overlap is too much, I might shelve it and choose another story.

Your son Trishanjit is also preparing to step into films. Are you planning his launch?

Not at all. Who launched me? It’s his own journey. It’s his own struggle. I can guide him with acting classes and advice, but he must build his own career.