My favorite trio

In the last few years, a number of strong actors have emerged in the Bengali film industry.  Their presence has encouraged the directors to deviate from the usual “formula 44” route and take a few risks, most of which have been successful. I would like to talk a little bit about some of my favorite actors of recent times.

Let me start with Saswata Chatterjee first.  I first watched him in the Feluda movie Baksho Rahasya as Topshe. He did a few Topshe roles in the subsequent Feluda stories which were serialized by Sandip Ray. But the first time I really noticed him was in the film Bong Connection, directed by Anjan Dutt. As Bhai da, his role was a very small one. He appeared in three scenes only, but the impact he made, at least upon me, was immense. Immediately, I became his admirer and started to follow his films.

The way Saswata has matured as an actor is really praiseworthy. After Bong Connection, he portrayed Ashim in Anjan Dutt’s Chalo Let’s Go and went on to act in numerous roles. But the cracker came in the film Kahaani, as Bob Biswas. Indian audience have neither seen nor dreamt of a contract killer like him before. With only a single dialogue and three appearances, Saswata became famous throughout the country.  Since then, he has been brilliant in films like Bhooter Bhobisyat, Namte Namte and a couple of Byomkesh Bakshi films as Ajit.

His two recent ventures, Meghe Dhaka Tara and Proloy, have also been hugely successful. In the first, he has portrayed the character of the great Ritwik Ghatak to perfection. In Proloy, his role as a special branch police officer has also been a treat to watch. I haven’t watched his latest ventures - Aschorjo Pradeep and C/O Sir yet, but they have been praised by the audience a great deal. I am confident that Saswata will not disappoint me. According to me, he is the best Bengali actor of recent times.

Next I would like to talk about Rudranil Ghosh. Starting with a comic role in the ETV Bangla serial Ek Nombor Mesbari, Rudra has transformed himself as one of the finest character artists in the industry.  I loved his performance in films like Kaal, Kantatar, Kaaler Rakhal , Chalo Let’s go and Kaalbela. Till then, my opinion about Rudra was that he was an above average actor, and some specific roles really suited him well. Teen Yari Katha was another film where I just loved Rudra’s performance.

 But everything changed when I watched the film Chaplin. In this film, he surpassed himself and to me, this has been his finest performance so far. He carried the film alone in his shoulders, and his performance has been lauded by audience throughout the country. His performance in the recent film Hawa Badal was good, but the weak plot of the film did not make much impact on the audience. However, his latest villainy in the film Pralay was outstanding. I am waiting to see his role in the yet-to-be-released Hanuman.com.

This discussion will remain incomplete if I do not mention about Mr. Prasenjit Chatterjee aka Bumbada (or Poenjit, as he was called before). To me, Prasenjit is a real wonder. A man who can act in films like Baba Keno Chakor, Purushottam, Annadata and Refugee as well as in Doshor, Autograph, Moner Manush and Baishey Sraban must be special in his acting abilities and range of versatility. The way he has metamorphosed himself during recent years has left many viewers awestruck.  

The Bengali film industry was largely wasting this talent for almost 25 years (barring a few cases) but now, the new era directors are using Prasenjit’s talent to the fullest, thereby adding a new dimension to his acting career as well as the enrichment of Bengali films. Prasenjit himself has taken the risk to change his image more frequently than he was doing before.  The new avatar of him deserves a separate discussion and so I am reserving the topic for future.

I have mentioned only three of my recent favorite actors, but obviously there are many others who have contributed in changing the mundane scenario of Bengali film industry. The result has been wonderful and film lovers like me are really grateful and thankful to these actors and directors for their good work. I want to thank Saswata, Rudranil and Prasenjit whole heartedly and wish them good luck in all their future endeavors. May the newly found trend continue….