How dare I rate Prosenjit Chatterjee?: Rituparna Sengupta

The lead pair ��� Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta ��� of Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee���s Praktan are poles apart. While Prosenjit is punctuality personified, Rituparna is known to be a habitual late lateef. Moreover, the two stars have come together in a film after refusing to share screen space for around 14 years now. So, when CT got chatting with the duo, their wonderful chemistry came as a surprise.We discussed the film and, of course, the experience of working together after all these years. Excerpts:
Prosenjit, you���re known for your punctuality, and Rituparna, for her late arrivals. How did you two manage?
Prosenjit Chatterjee: I had come to terms with that long ago. And she hasn���t budged an inch from the habit in all these years (smiles). But during Praktan���s shoot, Shibu (Shiboprosad) used to personally pick her up, as the whole crew knew how punctual I was. My strict instruction to the directorial team was to consult their heroine before finalising the call time. So, the pressure was on Shibu. During the shoot, there were many instances when Ritu would rush to the floors in half makeup, as Shibu would scream, ���Ritu, Bumbada anek khon ready hoye wait korche. Kono makeup korte hobe na tomake. Floor e eshe shot dao.��� And then Shibu would pacify me, saying, ���Bumbada, let���s discuss the scene and see if you have any suggestions.��� And I���d ask him, ���Ritu is giving the last touches to her makeup; is this the scene revision?���
Rituparna Sengupta: Ektu late kori���.
P: (Cuts in) You call that ���ektu late���, Ritu?
R: But I don���t take much time to do my hair and makeup. That���s how I manage the time. One had to see his grumpy face if I was late! He would
say, ���Will the shot happen today, or I will leave the set?���
P: (Laughs) But once Ritu is facing the camera, she is a different person altogether. She is into the character and just perfect.
R: (Looks at Prosenjit) I can���t believe my ears! You are actually praising me?
P: A human being reacts happily to a happy situation and feels hurt if something goes wrong. But in case of Ritu, it���s just the opposite. She reacts to all kinds of unimportant things. That���s her uniqueness!
R: Parle toh eta bolteh?
We heard that Shibu used to scold Ritu a lot on the sets. So, was he partial to Prosenjit?
R: From Srijit (Mukherji) to Shibu, everyone scolds me. What���s new in that?
P: Shibu was not partial to anyone. They respect me as a senior actor; even Ritu does that. It���s just that handling Ritu and me is not the same (laughs out loud)!

We heard that the director duo has signed four films with Prosenjit. What do you have to say to that, Ritu?
R: No comments. As he said, I don���t react where I need to. All the best.
P: These are just rumours. If it happens, rest assured Ritu will be there in all four. I wanted to work with Nanditadi and Shibu for a long time, as I know that there is genuine effort in their work. I was not part of their past films, but I supported them in my own way. I knew Shibu will never cast me if I don���t give my nod to work with Ritu and that���s how Praktan happened.
By what name do you address Prosenjit?
R: (A pregnant pause) thik jaani na...
P: (Looks intensely at Rituparna) She doesn���t address me Bumbada in a straight way too. Bhitore ki bole, ke jane?
At times, you call Ritu ���tui���, while at other times, it���s ���tumi������
P: When I���m in a good mood, I call her ���tui��� and when she starts the nuisance, it becomes ���tumi���.
For 14 years, you two didn���t work together and there was a time when you weren���t even on talking terms. Was there any awkwardness when you two met each other at social gatherings?
P: Not really! Ritu used to be herself���
R: (Cuts in) ���and you, yourself. But do enlighten me, how I���m ���myself���?
P: She���s chatting away with everyone in a gathering with a smile, and the moment a photographer appears, she checks her hair and starts posing. I hardly stay in a party for more than half an hour.
Shiboprosad said you left for Rajkahini���s screening in Delhi when Praktan was on floors.
R: Shibu is my best friend and worst enemy. He always feels that I neglect his films the most. If the call time is 6 am and I���m there at 5.55 am, he���ll surely say, ���Ritu, you could have come at 5.50 am���. He always complains. The dates for Praktan changed thrice and I took Nanditadi and Shibu���s permission to attend the Delhi International Film Festival long back.
P: I���ve instigated so many fights between Shibu and Ritu! Say, for instance, one day, I looked at the monitor and told Shibu, ���Why are you taking my close-ups when it���s Ritu���s dialogue?���. The battle that ensued was worth a watch! I knew Shibu would take her close-ups later from a different angle, as I know the nitty-gritty of a shoot. But Ritu lives in a different world. She immediately took my word for granted and a long fight ensued. It was wholesome entertainment (laughs).
R: Don���t you get tired by pulling my leg?
Coming back to Praktan, how important is this film to both of you? And what���s the story like?
R: It���s a journey of realisation and memories. My character, Sudipa, who is a successful career woman in her late thirties, is travelling alone by train from Mumbai to Kolkata. In the train, she meets Malini, played by Aparajita Adhya, who is a friendly woman travelling to Kolkata with her four-year-old son. Throughout the journey, Malini tries to befriend Sudipa with stories about her husband, Ujjan ��� played by Bumbada ��� and her family. Sudipa only gets irritated, as her past is scarred by a failed marriage. However, some aspects of Malini stories get her interested and she starts reminiscing her life. That���s it for now. I won���t reveal more. All I can say is that the songs are already a rage. Anupam (Roy) and Anindya (Chatterjee) have done a swell job. Among the songs, Tumi jake bhalobasho is my favourite, though Kolkata is getting very popular.
P: Praktan is a very important film, as two matured actors are coming together after a long time. Both of us have a responsibility towards the audience, as they have missed our jodi for so many years. So, it���s our duty to entertain them and get back their love and appreciation. As directors, Shibu and Nanditadi have been making good cinema for the past few years, so being a part of their project is a great thing for me.

You two decided to boycott each other when you were the most happening jodi on screen. Don���t you think the industry suffered for this?
P: Yes, it did. But we survived as actors and I guess, matured over the years.
R: There were so many offers to work together, but we kept refusing. But I regret saying no to Rituda (Rituparno Ghosh) for Dosar. He offered me Konkona���s (Sen Sharma) character opposite Bumbada.
How much will you give Ritu out of 10 for Praktan?
P: Eight-and-a-half. I���d have given her 9.5 if she���d have handled herself well. She does a lot of films, which she shouldn���t and I feel she takes on extra pressure. But all said and done, she hits a six with her performance and that���s why she is where she is now. Yes, time management is something she should look into.
How much will you give Prosenjit out of 10 for Praktan?
R: I���ll rate him? How dare I?
Shiboprosad said Rituparna used to shoot for Agnidev Chatterjee���s film throughout the night and so out of tiredness, she used to fall asleep on Praktan���s sets in the morning...
R: As I said, Shibu has to complain about everything I do. I used to take a power nap to
feel refreshed.
P: Was it a power nap or exhausted nap, Ritu? Don���t even talk about your falling asleep in a jiffy on the sets! I���ve been experiencing that for the past 20 years! You see, Ritu used to fall asleep on my shoulders when the lights used to be changed on the sets. The reason was that she didn���t take any rest and took up more work than required. But once the camera rolled, she used to deliver, and how!
Rituparna said the audience will feel that they are watching Ujjan and Sudipa on screen and not Prosenjit and Rituparna, as both of you have put in their heart and soul into the characters.
P: The script and story of Praktan is so well written that half our job as actors was done by the director duo. But what Ritu is saying is right. We tried our best and the rest is up to the audience.
R: All the characters are so well sketched. My character Sudipa is flamboyant, emotional, obsessed with love, but situations make her stubborn. Ujjan has his own way of doing things and is not flexible at all, much like Prosenjit Chatterjee in real life (laughs). He is a man of his own principles, but he can shower love and affection when needed. What happens to their prem kahini is something I will not disclose now.
P: If you tell everything now, what will they watch in the theatres?