Abir Chatterjee Picks His 5 Favourite Roles

We ask the actor, who is currently basking in the success of Dugeshgorer Guptodhon and awaiting the release of Bornoporichoy, to list his favourite roles on screen

There’s a sequence towards the end of Srijit Mukherji’s Shahjahan Regency in which a shattered Sam (Abir Chatterjee) walks back into the hotel he had left. His body language here is a standout for what it conveys in an understated manner. It also offers an insight into what I have always believed Abir to be: a thinking man’s actor, seldom given to grandstanding.

When I broach the subject of his favourite roles, I half-expect him to come up with names that would be a surprise. And he does not disappoint. Though he is probably the only star in Bengali cinema to have acted in three super-successful ‘franchises’ – Felu-da in Badshahi Angti, Byomkesh (which he has made his own over seven films), and now Sona-da in the Guptodhon series – his first response is: “Well, my personal favourites are a bit different from public perception. You may not even have heard of some of these… The Byomkeshes and Sona-das are important for me and for the industry on account of the revenue they generate. They have given me a certain profile and saleability which is important for a star, but the ones I’ve picked give me what the actor in me craves.”

For Abir, acting kind of ran in the family. His father Falguni Chatterjee and mother Rumki Chatterjee have been well-known names in Bengal’s theatre and television circles. Abir was doing his MBA from ICFAI, Kolkata, when during the second year semester break he got a call from Debangshu Sengupta. “It was only when the shoot ended that I realized that the telefilm, Scandal, was actually an extended screen test. Debangshu-da, whom I consider my guru, wanted to cast me in his mega serial, Banhishikha, which proved to be my breakout role. The serial ended in 2006 but even after all these years, Kamaal Mullick remains one of the most challenging and intriguing characters I have played… A character who is bad for the sake of being bad.”

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