Mumbai: National Award winning Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee`s character of the suave and dynamic politician in Dibakar Banerjee`s ‘Shanghai’ is inspired by and modelled upon acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.
Banerjee`s team was asked to dig up pictures of how Kapur looked 15 to 20 years back. These were used as direct reference points for Prosenjit`s physical appearance in ‘Shanghai’.
"The fact is, when I wrote the role of the fantastically sexy and suave politician, it was Shekhar Kapur I had in mind. But we needed someome in his 40s. So, while we wisely chose Prosenjit for the politician`s role, it was Shekhar Kapoor we had in mind," said Banerjee.
The filmmaker admits that watching Prosenjit in ‘Shanghai’ will remind viewers of the way Kapur walks, talks and dresses.
"Shekhar had this absolutely crazy dress sense which worked perfectly for him. He would mix and match the most unlikely clothes and colours and still look dynamic," he said.
"We took out Shekhar`s sartorial adventures from internet and we used pictures to design Prosenjit`s clothes," he added.
However, more than the clothes, it`s Kapur`s attitude that`s been imbued in Prosenjit`s character.
"When Shekhar talks, he doesn`t have to raise his voice to be heard. There`s an inherent magnetism and wisdom to his personality that we`ve used for Prosenjit`s character."
"I think his character will give to the middle-aged women in the audience a new sex symbol. He is a younger Shekhar Kapur and Naseeruddin Shah," said Banerjee, known for films like ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’, ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ and ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’.
Prosenjit says Kapur was a "thinking sex symbol" of his times.
"That`s how Dibakar has visualised my character. We sat down together and thought of a look for me. We thought of the way Shekharji used to look 15 to 20 years ago."
"Women of a certain age would swoon over his suave serene styling and demeanour. He was the thinking woman`s sex symbol. I love the idea of being in the same space. But I don`t mind being the non-thinking woman`s sex symbol either," said the 49-year-old.
‘Shanghai’, a political thriller, also features Abhay Deol, Emraan Hashmi and Kalki Koechlin. It is set to release June 8.
IANS
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.