[KernJetenue]

was asked not to drink

Says Mithun Chakraborty who plays, a devious priest in Kalpana Lajmi's latest
Ram Kamal Mukherjee



Mithun Chakraborty is waxing eloquent on the shades of grey these days. Does it have something to do with the fact that he is playing a negative character after a long time, in Kalpana Lajmi's Chingaari? “Life can't be just black and white, life has to be grey and that's the magic of mortality,” says Chakraborty. Grey is the colour of Bhuwan Panda, the corrupt village priest in the film, played by him.

“When Kalpana approached me with the script, I was sceptical about playing a negative role,” he adds. “But she had complete faith in me so I surrendered to her. My character is multi-faceted and I relied on my director completely for an elaboration of his personality. When she narrated the script to me I asked her if I needed to put on weight and sport a small paunch to look the character, but she didn't want me to do any such thing.”

Is he afraid of the bad press he may receive by essaying a negative pandit? “Why should I? It's just a piece of period fiction,” he replies. “Every religion has its good and bad, and if I represent the villainous, then Sushmita typifies the virtuous.” The film had Chakraborty doing an intimate scene with Sushmita. How comfortable was he during the shot? “It was not an intimate scene, but a depiction of the oppression of the weaker sex,” he says. “Kalpana, being a woman herself, dealt with the scenes aesthetically. She hasn't made it look like a sleazy movie.”

Allegedly, Sushmita had a huge showdown with Mithun during the shooting of the film. “I think it's unfair to spread such rumours because Sushmita is one of the finest and most disciplined actors I've seen in recent times,” he replies. “She always treated me with respect, and called me Dada. She used to sit and talk about life in general to me.”

Part of Chakraborty's preparations for his role included an abstinence from alcohol. “Kalpana is a really smart director,” he says. “On the very first day she requested me not to drink.” The actor was also required to violate his own 8.30 p.m. deadline by shooting well into the night.

On the side, Chakraborty used to order river-water fish from the nearest market and cook maccher jhol for the entire unit. “I love cooking and I think I would have been a chef if I hadn't been an actor,” he says. As an actor, Chakraborty has made a comeback, and he's pleased with the results. His film Kalpurush has been nominated for the Berlin Film Festival. “It's an honour for Indian cinema and I am sure that my director Buddhadeb Dasgupta will keep making such meaningful cinema,” he concludes