Not one to mingle after work, actor Ritwik Chakraborty loves to travel when he is not working. The 41-year-old bundle of raw talent, who has portrayed heart-wrenching performances in award-winning movies like Shabdo, Asha Jaoar Majhe, Ek Phali Roddurand Bakita Byaktigoto will be seen in a series of movies this year, beginning with Nagarkirtan, where he plays, Madhu the flute player, who is in a journey of self discovery and love. Excerpts from a chat with this ever-elusive actor.
How was your journey as Madhu in Nagarkirtan? Was it difficult to play the role?
There was a gap of a year between hearing the script and shooting of the movie, which helped me to understand Madhu better and know him well before shoot began. Madhu is a flautist but the story is about the dilemma he faces in love, the discovery of his sexuality and the budding romance with his lover, Puti. It’s a pure love story where gender becomes irrelevant and homophobia will take a backseat with love coming in the forefront. The audience’s hearts will surely ache for Madhu and Puti.
We were given to see a really bold scene featuring you and co-actor Riddhi Sen in the film’s trailer. Were you tense while shooting?
Not at all! The audience will surely not feel uneasy watching two male bodies on screen, since the shots were precise and technical -- almost like a dental surgery.
Riddhi, having won the National Award as Best Actor for this movie, continues to shower praises over you, for bringing out the best in him...
I think an it’s also an actor’s duty to ensure that his co-actors are not overshadowed and work in cohesion to bring the best out of a scene. I wasn’t as seasoned as Riddhi and probably couldn’t have given such a performance at the age of 19. It’s remarkable how he has appreciated and internalised a layered character like Puti and remained Puti till the shooting ended.
You will be seen in Atanu Ghosh’s next, Bini suto. What other films are you doing?
Atanu is a sensitive filmmaker and I have worked with him before, too. It’s a very different role I will be essaying but I can’t divulge more. I will also be seen in Pradipta Bhattacharya’s Rajlakshmi Srikanto, Churni Ganguly’s Tarikh, Srijit Mukherji’s Vinci Da, Kaushik Ganguly’s Jestho Putro, Souvik’s Buro Sadhu, Abhimanyu Mukherjee’s Teko and Anik Dutta’s Barun Babur Bondhu besides a film with Raj Chakraborty.
That’s a lot. What do you do for leisure?
When I get a break I love travelling. I love mountains and jungles. I have my own circle of friends outside the industry since industry-related gossips tire me.
Would you like to name a few of your favourite co-actors, and also filmmakers, whom you look forward to work with?
My favourite co-actors are Swastika Mukherjee and Adil Hussain. I haven’t yet worked with Goutam Ghose, Sandip Ray and a host of young filmmakers including Soukarya Ghosal. Looking forward to working with them.