To become a brand, you need to work with brands: Soham Chakraborty

Any newcomer in the Bengali film industry would envy Soham Chakraborty’s career graph. As a child, he worked with stalwarts like Satyajit Ray, Anjan Choudhury and Tarun Majumdar. His acting talent was never in doubt and even today, audiences remember him for films like ‘Prem Amar’, ‘Amanush’, ‘Bojhena Se Bojhena’, ‘Shudhu Tomari Jonyo’, ‘Boudi Canteen’ and ‘Dharmajuddha’. Like many leading actors in Tollywood, Soham, too, turned producer. Though he backed up big films like ‘Shastri’, box-office success has mostly eluded his production house. But Soham believes in hard work and consistency.

In the new director Akash Malakar’s ‘Bahurup’, he takes up the challenge of playing seven characters. As a TMC MLA, next year’s elections will keep him busy, but before that, he plans to announce another film under his banner. He is also on the lookout for that ‘perfect script’ that can recreate the magic of yesteryears. ‘Millennium Post’ catches up with him on films, production and more.

It’s known that you are a powerful actor. From working with Satyajit Ray and Anjan Choudhury as a child to delivering hits like ‘Prem Amar’ and ‘Amanush’, you’ve proved yourself. But in recent years, success hasn’t been the same.

Those films belonged to a certain time. I believe everything happens when it’s supposed to. You need the right script to click. I’m waiting for that and I’m sure it will come my way. Take ‘Bahurup’ for example - it allowed me to project myself differently and explore new sides of me as an actor.

But doesn’t it upset you that the right script isn’t reaching you?

Of course, it does. I’m human after all. But I’m also an optimist. I believe in my journey. I’ve come this far because I met the right people who gave me good scripts. It’s true that not every script has translated into box-office success, but as an actor, I’ll always keep looking for strong content. Ups and downs are part of everyone’s career - even the legends.

These days, almost every leading Bengali actor has their own production house. What made you start yours?

I grew up in this industry. I wanted to try new ideas, explore creativity and do business in the field that has given me everything. Yes, my productions haven’t really worked so far, but again, it all comes down to the right script.

In your productions, you’ve worked a lot with new directors.

Every big name was once a newcomer. But that doesn’t mean I’ll only work with newcomers. To become a brand, you need to work with brands too. Before approaching established directors, I needed to prove that my banner can create good content. Now, we’re already in talks with some well-known names.

In ‘Bahurup’, you play seven different characters. How tough was that?

Very tough. It’s one of the most challenging roles of my career. Audiences have loved me in ‘Amanush’ and ‘Prem Amar’, but this film gave me a chance to experiment further. I tried to bring a unique tone and style to each of the seven characters.

What was your preparation like?

Actors are always observing people, so that helps a lot. Honestly, when Akash first narrated the script, it felt too much to grasp. Later, he reworked it. For me, repeatedly reading the script is important to get under the skin of a character. And continuous discussions with Akash and makeup artist Somnath Kundu really helped shape each role.

Now And Then

Audiences often complain that Bengali cinema no longer produces ‘heroes’. What’s your take?

Today, when producers like us approach ‘financers’, they are asked about profit and loss figures. Film is also a business, like any other industry, but people think returns should be instant. That’s not how it works. The industry needs growth and we also need fresh faces to keep it alive. Earlier, banners like ‘SVF’, ‘Surinder Films’ and ‘Eskay Movies’ invested heavily in actors and turned them into stars. Scripts, music sessions and shoots were given time. A fight sequence would take 10 days to shoot. Now, an entire film wraps up in 10 days. We’ve also lost many single-screen theatres. Back then, producers took risks and believed in us. Today, most of us want to play it safe with content. We became ‘heroes’ because we made mass entertainers. Let’s admit it. We deprived audiences when we shifted only to family dramas that promised safe returns. We stopped taking risks. But I truly believe the industry will bounce back if we all make that effort together.