This Article is From Oct 07, 2015

Soumitra Chatterjee, 83, Says He Can't 'Afford to be Choosy' at His Age

Soumitra Chatterjee, 83, Says He Can't 'Afford to be Choosy' at His Age

Soumitra Chatterjee and Swatilekha Sengupta in a still from Bela Seshe

Kolkata: At 83, Soumitra Chatterjee, star of the critically-acclaimed hit Bela Seshe: In The Autumn Of My Life, says that he is no longer in a position to choose scripts and grab meaty roles since age has limited his repertoire. (Also Read: Soumitra Chatterjee on Ahalya and Co-Star Radhika Apte)

Mr Chatterjee's Bela Seshe recently completed 150 days at the box office and reunited him with theatre actress Swatilekha Sengupta, 30 years after Satyajit Ray's Ghare Baire (The Home and The World).

Considered one of Satyajit Ray's favourite actors, Mr Chatterjee worked with the director in 15 feature films and one documentary, making his debut in the filmmaker's Apur Sansar in 1959.

Despite his acting brilliance, Soumitra Chatterjee seems to have confined himself to supporting roles in the last few years.

"I'm not choosy any more at this age. I can't afford to be choosy now. When I was a full-fledged hero, I could choose my scripts, but when I had to switch over to character acting I can't afford to choose," Mr Chatterjee told IANS in an interview.

But since directors Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee approached him with the 'unusual' script of Bela Seshe, Mr Chatterjee accepted the role. He said it also provided him with a chance to showcase his acting skills.

"It was a rather unusual concept and interesting for me since I got ample opportunity to sort of exercise my abilities," the thespian said.

The film revolves around a married couple who decide to separate after 50 years of marriage and how their decision changes their children's life. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan also heaped praises on the movie which released across the country in June and will open worldwide later.

The fastidious Mr Chatterjee was also impressed with the filmmakers' interest in 'elderly actors'.

"It was a good thing on the part of the directors to pair the two of us since there are not many elderly actresses left who are frequently seen and often opposite me," Mr Chatterjee observed.

Swatilekha, a Sangeet Natak Academy-winner, concurs.

"They thought of this concept, this was our gain. At our age it is very difficult to get meaty and pioneering roles," the actress told IANS. She hopes the film will help in 'changing mindsets' in the film industry. "Even at their age, old actors are as professional and disciplined at shoots as any actor of the younger generation," she said.

Soumitra Chatterjee says he prefers to adopt a 'thoroughly professional' attitude on sets.

He admitted that while shooting Bela Seshe, though there were moments when the two were hit by waves of 'Ray nostalgia', the focus was on getting the job done.

"But nothing compares to working with Ray. He was a class apart," the actor confessed.

A leading figure in Bengali theatre as well, Mr Chatterjee recently played the protagonist in the stage adaptation of William Shakespeare's King Lear. The play won rave reviews and also drew the crowds in large numbers. The octogenarian says he wants to do 'more of Shakespeare.'
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