A decade after the hit movie Proloy, Saswata Chatterjee is back as the rowdy onscreen cop Animesh Dutta in filmmaker Raj Chakraborty’s debut web-series Abar Proloy. Not only does Saswata not regret turning down the role of Chandan Chatterjee, played by Tota Roy Chowdhury, in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, but he’s also confident about Dutta being the ultimate and most entertaining cop in the world of the Bengali entertainment industry. “I don’t dance, I can’t dance, and it was not possible for me to learn a classical dance form in 1.5 months. It would have been disrespectful to the art form,” says Saswata.
How has cop Animesh Dutta (the character) changed over the last 10 years?
Animesh Dutta now has an 8-9-yearold kid, Barun (Dutta became a father to a boy towards the end of Proloy). He is more dabangg and ruthless with the criminals now and doesn’t care at all for the rulebook!
Did you find it challenging to be Animesh Dutta again after a decade-long break?
Not at all. The script was like that. If you know how to ride a bicycle, will you ever forget that? It’s the same.
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Will Abar Proloy prepare the Bengali audience for bolder, unfiltered content?
You know I believe the differentiation based on languages doesn’t exist anymore. Rituparno Ghosh used to say, ‘We all make international films in different languages.’ Content-wise every Bengali film too should be at par with any international film. Language is no bar. So, right now, you can’t limit yourself to thinking that you are making a Bengali film. Even OTT has become so competitive. You have to give the audience better content.
Upcoming works?
I have two Hindi projects, Anurag Basu’s Metro In Dino and Rajesh Krishnan’s Crew, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu and Kriti Sanon.