‘Today’s Hindi scripts often demand a solid grasp of dialects’

Actor Ritwick Chakraborty praises the talented group of Tollywood actors who have been making a significant impact on the national OTT platforms. Their success has encouraged more of them to explore the medium. Ritwick also received quite a few offers from OTT players, but given his tight schedule in Tollywood, he couldn’t find time. However, there was a role for a character from a Madhya Pradesh-based village that he liked.

“I’ve been receiving offers from national OTT platforms and I’ve really liked some of the concepts. However, due to my busy schedule in Bengal, I had date problems. It’s a promising time for regional actors to gain exposure on the national stage through OTT, allowing us to explore complex characters. Today’s Hindi scripts often demand a solid grasp of dialects. Perhaps, by next year, I should find the time to take up one,” Ritwick said.

He just got back from shooting a psychological thriller in London, directed by Parambrata Chatterjee. His new web series, ‘Mr Kolketa’, is now streaming. Ritwick compares his character in the series to Tintin, as he has a knack for adventure. He’s particularly drawn to the series because it’s packed with historical facts about Kolkata. Plus, there’s another reason why he wanted to play Kolke.

“I took on ‘Mr Kolketa’ because I wanted to be a part of a project that my son could enjoy. Besides ‘Shabash Feluda’, there haven’t been many projects in my career that are suitable for him to watch. Since he’s 10 years old, I wanted him to see me portray a character that’s both entertaining and intriguing,” he shared.

Ritwick holds a special place in his heart for his character, ‘Gora.’ While he defines ‘Gora’ as a detective, he believes that Kolke doesn’t share similar aspirations. Interestingly, his son hasn’t seen ‘Gora’ yet but is a fan of the series ‘Eken Babu’, in which actor Anirban Chakrabarti plays the lead.

Ritwick’s new projects seem to revolve around the thriller genre, whether it’s ‘Mr Kolketa’, ‘Tarokar Mrittyu’, ‘Paharganj Halt’ or the psychological thriller filmed in London. Even though he can’t pinpoint why thrillers have gained such popularity among both regional and national audiences, Ritwick himself doesn’t mind watching them. However, he raises a valid question, pondering the fate of other genres amid this thriller trend.

Recently, Ritwick received praise for his outstanding performance in the thriller ‘Abar Proloy’, Raj Chakraborty’s Bengali OTT debut. However, some critics pointed out that his appearance as Shombu Baba resembled Pankaj Tripathi’s character in ‘Sacred Games’. Ritwick doesn’t deny the similarity but said: “I can’t deny the resemblance in appearance, but the characters are quite different. Besides, many Indian con men who pose as sadhus tend to look alike.”

Meanwhile, Ritwick had a great time working with the veteran Ranjit Mallick in ‘Tarokar Mrittyu’, directed by Haranath Chakraborty.

“Ranjit babu is a spirited but truly bhadralok. We filmed the web series during COVID-19,” he said.