Satyajit Ray was a complete filmmaker: Dhritiman Chatterjee
Veteran actor Dhritiman Chatterjee, who began his acting career with the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, believes Ray was a complete filmmaker and in control of every aspect of his craft.
|Last Updated: May 01, 2013, 02:40 PM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: Veteran actor Dhritiman Chatterjee, who began his acting career with the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, believes Ray was a complete filmmaker and in control of every aspect of his craft.
"My experience with every director is valuable to me. But Satyajit Ray was a complete filmmaker with full control on all aspects of cinema whether it was the screenplay, costumes or cinematography.
"The most distinguishing characteristic of Ray was that he was extremely planned. Before the shoot of a film would begin he would have worked out all the details," Chatterjee said on the sidelines of centenary film festival here. Ray`s 1970 film ‘Pratidwandi’, starring Chatterjee, was screened at the festival.
Chatterjee who has had a four-decade long career in cinema started his journey with `Pratidwandi`. The actor later worked with directors like Mrinal Sen, Aparna Sen, Deepa Mehta, Jane Campion among others.
"Delhi seems to play a part in my association with Ray. I was a student of Delhi university when me and bunch of my friends started its first film society. We were also trying to bring out a journal for which we met the legendary filmmakers of our time including Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal in Kolkata."
Chatterjee said three years later when Ray was looking for someone to play the lead in ‘Pratidwandi’, he called the actor. "I had a meeting with him, we discussed the character and I was selected for the role."
Nostalgic about his first film, Chatterjee said, "It was my very first film and it has passed the test of time. It was a cult film. It was overwhelming to see that even 43 years later there were queues outside the auditorium to watch the film."
Though the actor`s own film, ‘Pratidwandi’ does not feature in his list of Ray`s remarkable works. His all-time favourite Ray films are ‘Aparajito’ and ‘Charulata’.
The actor says his criteria of taking up a project depends upon his comfort-level with the director and screenplay of the film. As as actor he believes director`s vision is paramount.
Chatterjee, who has been a part of critically acclaimed Bengali films like ‘Padatik’ and ‘36 Chowringhee Lane’, said audiences are taking the cinema movement forward in Bengal.
"There was a period from late 80s to 90s when Bengali cinema was producing real slump. But there has been resurgence in audience. They are aware of the cinematic trends elsewhere and do not want escapism. There is also emergence of young filmmakers who are able to address these issues." PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.