After a roller coaster 2020 with two releases including Sotoroi September and Bhootchakra Pvt Ltd, popular actor Soham Chakraborty is back this year with a slew of films and Miss Call, opposite the bubbly Rittika Sen happens to be his first release of the year. Produced by Surinder Films, this movie is a romantic thriller with a gripping plot. For Rittika too, who was last seen in Love Story, this is her first release post-COVID. We had a chat with the two actors on the film and more. Excerpts:
Tell us about your role in Miss Call?
Soham Chakraborty: My character Krishna is a pool-car driver who ferries children to school and works hard all day long to make both ends meet. He gets a kind of relief and happiness when he gets missed calls from a girl called Lila and strangely a conversation starts between the two leading to a sweet and innocent friendship. But as the friendship starts brewing, certain events lead to this guy getting framed and that’s when the story begins.
The movie is all about how the guy gets framed and his life becomes a living hell and how he brings things back to normal. It’s a very different kind of character than the ones I usually play. It is not at all a comic role as nowadays I try to do different films. This one had a lot of scope to display my acting skills, and since Ravi Kinagi directed it, it was great fun. So far, since the film’s trailer released, the response has been overwhelming.
Rittika Sen: Lila’s character is unlike any college going girl of today’s times. She has a set of very strict parents and leads a very disciplined life, so much so that she doesn’t even have a cell phone. Finally, she wins a phone in a competition and is thrilled to bits. She tries to follow trends and copy friends and ends up giving a missed call to an unknown number that leads to a friendship with Krishna. With time, a bond grows between them and that’s when she suddenly goes missing and the story gets into a dangerous precipice. The film is full of emotions, suspense, drama and even comedy.
SC: Yes, there’s a funny song, Gole Maley Taley Goley, that can easily become an anthem for all married men.
This is your second film with Soham, how is he as a co-actor?
RS: Soham is an extremely talented and strong actor and as a co-actor, he is accommodating. Also, since Ravi Kinagi directed the film, I had a very comfortable time. I started my film career under his direction with 100% Love.
Your opinion on the young talent entering Tollywood?
SC: Our industry needs new talent and all are welcome but they should justify this platform and need to learn the craft to have a solid footing. Most of the youngsters today are very serious about their career and try to put in their full effort. Same with Rittika, she works hard and her efforts show.
Post pandemic, where do you think Tollywood stands?
SC: The situation is extremely palpable in all the film industries across the world. It’s a new journey and Tollywood too went through its own learning process. So, hats off to the new producers and directors who are taking huge risks and investing in Tollywood after such a hard time.
You too have started afresh, as a producer, after Amar Apanjan in 2016?
SC: Yes, though the film was appreciated I recurred a huge loss as a producer since I didn’t get involved in expenses minutely. This time I have returned with a new production house, Soham’s Entertainment and our first film, Kolkatar Harry starring me, Priyanka Sarkar, Arindam, Ganguly and Dipankar De among others is in its post-production stage. It’s a children’s movie with all kinds of family emotions and I hope it draws back the audience to theatres.
How cautious have you become as a producer?
Well, I have been very cautious about the budget and extremely conscious about content. If a character doesn’t suit me, I won’t do that role. I plan to promote new talent too. I am very choosy about stories too.
Rittika, we don’t see you much in Kolkata nowadays…
Yes, that’s because I am doing a lot of projects down South especially in Tamil and Telegu and half of the time I am in Chennai and Hyderabad. I did a female-centric film, Dagaalty, a Tamil comic thriller which was very well-received. There are also a couple of more films that I am currently doing.
Soham, you too will be seen in the web series Dujone for the first time. How was the experience?
Yes, it’s with Srabanti Chatterjee and we just finished shooting. Well apart from the dubbing part, which takes a lot more time than film dubbing, I found no great difference between shooting for a web series and a film. Also, apart from this series, my upcoming films include Raj Chakraborty’s Dharmajuddho, Arjunn Dutta’s Shrimati and Rajib Kumar’s Pratighat.
sharmishtha.g@newindianexpress.com
@sharmidas