This year so far, cerebral actor Parambrata Chatterjee had only one release, Srijit Mukherji’s Shah Jahan Regency. After a very successful impact in the webspace with Sharate Aaj this year, he is all set to impress the urban Bengali audience with his act as Byomkesh — the ever-popular truthseeker created by famous Bengali author Saradindu Bandyopadhyay — in Satyanweshi Byomkesh, which releases this Puja.
The actor is unfazed by the fact that Byomkesh has already been played by some very renowned names including Uttam Kumar, Jisshu Sengupta, Anirban Bhattacharya, Gaurav Chakraborty, and very famously by Abir Chatterjee who almost owned the character. “My Byomkesh will be as different from the others as I am from the other actors who have played it before me,” smiles Chatterjee, as he gets ready for a Puja special fashion shoot with us.
Apart from Byomkesh, he will also be seen in Password that’s also releasing this Puja, starring Dev, Rukmini Maitra and Paoli Dam, besides him. “I have another release in December, Sagar Dwipey
Jawker Dhon, with Koel Mallick. Then there’s Bulbul, a Hindi original for Netflix, and will make another film in January next year,” tells the actor, who will get busy shooting for Srijit Mukherji’s Dwitiyo Purush right after the Pujas. As the big week approaches, Param teamed up with Abhishek Dutta to present four festive looks for the season.
Fashion, fitness and more
"Very honestly speaking I have never followed or thought of finding out what’s in fashion during festivities and at times I don’t even know what trends are in, except at times when certain trends or styles become so ubiquitous that you can’t help but notice them. Like now, I see a lot of guys wearing high ankle-length pants. But during the five days of Puja I usually pick traditional Bengali attire for at least a couple of days. It’s also the onset of autumn during the Pujas, just the perfect time to wear light cotton jackets over round neck tees or shirts. I love wearing anything cotton. I’m not a big fan of linen though it’s in fashion nowadays.
"When it comes to things sartorial, I consider looking comfortable more important than looking different. I am an adventurous person when it comes to clothes but I can ever be outrageous in my fashion choices since I tend to get very conscious of what I am wearing. I am a little British in my choice of colours and cuts with white, green, blue, and beige being my eternal favourites, but I have also worn something as exciting as a bright red shirt or a scarlet pair of trousers. For a night out though, I prefer fabrics like silk but only the finest quality.
"When I am not working it’s usually tees and denim on a regular day but when I go to my production office I prefer wearing formal attire. I’m not an accessories person at all but I love belts in shades of brown in good quality leather and I possess about 15-16 of them. In Satyanweshi Byomkesh, I will mostly be wearing white shirts, kurtas and dhotis, apart from a few shades of light blue and grey. Also, since this movie is set in 1971, you will also see Byomkesh wearing more shirts and high-waist pleated trousers than in other movies.
"Regarding my fitness regimen, I work out every day for an hour and the routine comprises a balanced mix of cardio and weights. I also love cycling outdoors a lot. Food that comforts me consists of purely traditional Bengali delicacies that are home-cooked, low-spiced and taste amazing. I simply love fish and can very well live without meat but not without fish at all. The Pujas are the only time when everyone goes on a holiday mode without a care for the world. I am not a pandal hopper and usually prefer staying back at home and lazing around, watching movies and chatting with friends over sumptuous food.
Designer speak...
Abhishek: This year is about a lot of colours for men. Pastel shades like coral pink, grey-green, bottle green apart from the whites are in fashion. Trendy summer short jackets in linens and cottons with quirky cuts and prints are the flavour of the season. I have played around with the insect and amphibian prints this time and even the bird prints look very sexy and cool on men. The tapered cut denim pants in high ankle length can be teamed up with funky shoes and loafers in contrast colours. If you like Indo-Western outfits, then Nehru jackets in varied styles and cuts are a must. Also, completely ethnic kurtas with differently styled plackets in asymmetrical cuts or angarakhas can be worn with pre-stitched, digitally printed line dhotis or churidars. And since it’s Pujas, you can always go vibrant with colours.
Make-up: Aniruddha Chakladar
Model: Parambrata Chatterjee
Clothes & accessories: Abhishek Dutta
Pictures: Arpit Rungta
Location Courtesy: Hyatt Regency