There’s a time and place for everything. Actor Pushparag a.k.a. Tota Roy Choudhury, literally lived by the phrase through his 3 decades of acting highs and lows. The handsome actor, who debuted in 1993 in Prabhat Roy’s Duranto Prem, is now basking in hard-earned glory for his impressive portrayal of Alia Bhatt’s Kathak exponent dad Chandan Chatterjee in Karan Johar’s film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani (RRPK).
In a candid tete-e-tete with Indulge, Tota talks about the process of becoming Chandan in the film, about Karan Johar the human being, working hard in life, being by the Bengali film industry during his prime, and being ever-prepared for the right opportunity as actor. Also, he posed exclusively for Indulge in the stunning shoot for this interview.
You stole the show as Alia’s dad in RRPK…
I didn’t steal the show, I would say it was a great team effort and the character struck a chord with the audience in the truest sense. It broke many well-set notions and it’s the director’s doing, shaping the character in such a manner. It resonated with the audience because of the trials and tribulations it went through in life and that’s probably why the reaction has been so overwhelming towards Chandan. I feel humbled because it’s a very long time since I received responses of this magnitude.
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Take us through the process you went through to become Chandan Chatterjee on screen.
I simply trusted the director’s vision and went with it. I have been a fan of Karan Johar and his kind of films because he has always made family films and I knew he would shape the character in such a way that I need to trust his instincts and go with the flow.
Since I play a Kathak dancer and teacher, the pre-condition was to learn the classical dance form and to that end, I took an initial training for 6 months in Kolkata from Paramita Maitra. Before the shoot, I trained with Nikita Banawalikar under the strict supervision of choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant, who herself is a Kathak exponent. Vaibhavi is a perfectionist and hard taskmaster and probably because of that, I could do it so well. She fine-tuned the whole performance and turned it so amazing on screen.
How did you balance the nuances of the character so perfectly?
When I watched performing artists, I noticed they have dual personas – one for the stage and the other for regular life. When on stage, they get into the dancing mode with the befitting body language and when the arc lights go off, they are back to being their own selves. I keenly observed them and the duality in characters, thinking that if I ever do a role like that, I need to incorporate the same body language into my expressions. Birju Maharaj is one such luminary who’s my role model.
Your character has broken so many prevailing notions. How does that make you feel?
I feel extremely blessed and grateful to Karan for giving me the role. There have been a lot of male practitioners from the fields of design, makeup, dance, and other such not-so-traditionally male professions who reached out to me and thanked me for representing their struggles in the film. Like Chandan, they too faced discrimination in their growing-up years and the world judged them for their odd choices.
Watching one of Karan’s interviews post the film’s release I learned Karan was similarly judged but he was intelligent enough not to share that with me before the shoot since there were chances that I would have imitated him. But I realized that such lovely well-written roles can only come from deepest places.
How was it working with Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh?
They are talented and true superstars but when they enter the sets, they behave like blu0collar workers ready to go to any extent to work together to create something truly remarkable.
Were you tensed about filming the dance sequence with Ranveer, given what a super dancer he is?
I wasn’t tensed because by that time I had already worked two schedules with Ranveer. But he is an unparalleled dancer who can pick up steps easily and effortlessly. What I was wary about was that since I was the dance teacher, I had to match steps with him if not better. We rehearsed the last 3 days together and we were enjoying the dance that came across the screen.
Can you dispel some myths about Karan Johar the person?
Karan is one of the finest human beings I had the privilege to know and work with. He is such a democratic and large-hearted human and so well-mannered that I can go on and on. People have written such rubbish about him and yet no one could take away the positivity from him. If I had to face such kind of negativity, I would have been the bitterest person but he is ever-smiling and happy on sets and takes care of the whole unit which is why they love him to the moon and back.
I remember when we were in Delhi for an outdoor shoot, he booked one of the prohibitively expensive hotels in the diplomatic enclave for the entire unit. The technicians from the sound, camera, costume and makeup departments all stayed there. He never demarcates between people. The world won’t talk about it but I have seen it. A good human is so rare and Karan is definitely one of them, it’s in his genes.
Does it hurt you to think Tollywood never gave your due as an actor in your prime?
It used to initially, but now, I have stopped thinking about it and take it very philosophically. I feel it wasn’t meant to happen at that point in time and there’s a divine force that always guides us or doesn’t make things happen. Maybe I wasn’t good enough or prepared enough. Not getting it during my prime was motivation and impetus enough for me to push my boundaries, making me a better professional and adding texture to my performance. Since I never wanted to do anything else, I kept on plodding and realized that someday somewhere I would get an opportunity and I had to be ready when it came. I can’t be sitting at home out of shape, I want to die with my boots on.
Now when those same people congratulate you on your success, do you take it with a pinch of salt?
I take it with a sack-full not just a pinch of salt. I am now a little desensitized and don’t take any praise or criticism, for that matter, seriously. I exactly know where I stand now and I know what I can or cannot do. I got my eco-system in place -- my family and my wife are my biggest support.
What’s your acting method?
I’m a director’s actor and rely on instincts. I feel if I adhere too much to method acting, I might make it look more mechanical. My primary object is to reach as near to the director’s vision and I do that by relying on my instincts.
How do you spend your free time?
I read a lot of fiction – both classic and modern – written by Satyajit Ray, and Sanjib Chattopadhyay among others. Currently, I’m poring into Tom Hanks’ latest book The Making Of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece and I find that when actors write, they have different ways of approaching fiction.
I also read a lot of non-fiction nowadays, especially books on International Relations, law and order and administration. I also love reading up on working actors’ biographies.
What is your diet and fitness routine like?
There hasn’t been any routine as such, I just exercise and eat healthy. I like being fit and enjoy functional exercises, bodyweight movement training and yoga rather than weight lifting. I eat sensibly and fad diets scare me, especially the ones trending on social media. By eliminating certain foods, you will be eliminating nutrition. You might look in shape but end up being malnourished.
Your upcoming projects?
I can’t talk in detail about them but there is a mix of films and web projects in Bengali and Hindi.
Credits: Pics: Debarshi Sarkar / Styling: Abhishek Roy / Hair and Makeup: Prosenjit Banerjee