‘Will continue doing mainstream masala films’

He feels most comfortable doing mainstream commercial films. This formula has worked in his favour since he entered Bengali cinema with ‘Saathi’ (2002). But today, the stakes are high for actor-producer Jeet. He is stepping out of his region and going national with his latest action thriller, ‘Chengiz’. Confident that he has made a product that has all the ingredients to impress the pan-Indian audience, Jeet also sees his long-cherished dream being fulfilled.

More than 20 years ago, this lanky and good-looking boy from Kolkata stepped foot in Mumbai to pursue his dreams of making it big in Bollywood. Months of struggle later, he returned to his hometown and found his calling in Bengali cinema. Today, he is the only actor in Bengali cinema, who still believes in larger-than-life mainstream masala films. With ‘Chengiz’, he decided to cross boundaries. It was on his mind for quite some time and he felt ‘Chengiz’ was the right film to reach an audience outside Bengal. ‘Chengiz’ is Jeet’s first pan-India release.

So, what made him release ‘Chengiz’ simultaneously in Bengali and Hindi?

“It was a long-pending dream. I started my struggle in Mumbai and wanted to do films there. But destiny had other plans. Today, it feels special to have my film released across India. We have wanted to do it for some time now. We thought ‘Chengiz’ had shaped up well and had a massy story. Then, we reached out to distributor Anil Thadani. He watched the film and was amazed to see the kind of content Bengali was churning out,” said Jeet.

At a time when his contemporaries (read Dev) are increasingly moving towards content-oriented films, especially relationship tales and family dramas, Jeet is the only one in Tollywood who is constantly reinventing himself with masala mainstream films. Be it ‘Sultan: The Savior, ‘Boss’ or ‘Raavan’, Jeet created his own fanbase with mainstream films.

So, what makes him return to his genre every time?

“I love this genre. I believe in mainstream cinema. This genre has made me who I am today. I will continue doing mainstream films as long as I can. Across all industries, we will notice that audiences enjoy mainstream masala films the most. From ‘Baahubali’, ‘Pushpa’, ‘RRR’, ‘KGF’ and ‘Pathaan’, mainstream films are appealing to a wider audience. We keep talking about how mainstream films can make single screens and content-driven

cinema survive in the long run,

but not enough people come forward in Bengal to make these movies. We keep talking about South films, but they have always made mainstream films,” he said.

Set against Kolkata’s underworld of the late 1970s to mid-1990s, ‘Chengiz’ brings back the dependable duo - writer Neeraj Pandey and director Rajesh Ganguly - to Bengali film. The trio made ‘The Royal Bengal Tiger’ in 2014, which was appreciated by the audience.

“I have known Neeraj and Rajesh for a long time now. The script was apt to please the pan-Indian audience,” said the ‘Asur’ actor.

After promoting the film in various parts of the country, including Mumbai, Delhi and Lucknow, Jeet has understood that audiences outside the state have a different idea about Bengali films.

“There’s a perception outside Bengal that we make only art house cinema. But a lot is happening in Bengal. We have talents to make content for the national audience,” he said.

Jeet is both excited and nervous about ‘Chengiz’ going national. And if the film succeeds, his other projects might also be released across the country.

Now, he might be a product of masala films, but Jeet is open to other kinds of cinema. He, however, said not many offers came his way. And what if a film comes with his ‘Dui Prithibi’ co-actor, Dev?

“Why not? I am open to offers,” he said.

Of late, Jeet does only one film every year. His fans want to see more of him. Also, he hardly makes an appearance apart from the time when his film releases. Ask him and he has a ready reply.

“I enjoy my job, shoot and return to my friends and family. But I think I should start doing more films,” he smiled.