Talmar Romeo Juliet actor Anujoy Chattopadhyay: 'One day I want to perform like Irrfan Khan' | Exclusive
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Hoichoi’s Talmar Romeo Juliet (TRJ) banks heavily on Anujoy Chattopadhyay’s striking performance. Along with Anirban Bhattacharya, the actor steals the lion’s share of the limelight. As a result, his performance has been lauded by viewers and critics alike. However, all these praises could not take away Anujoy’s humility. “When I was young, I used to think that acting only meant glamour and being famous. Now, I know it is a journey,” the actor told us.
Anujoy’s performance in Lojja has given him fame
After years in group theatre, Anujoy first performed in front of the camera in the web series Krishanu Krishanu (streams on Zee5). However, it is Joydeep Banerjee’s Chick Flick (streams on Klikk) in which he plays the lead. “After Dostojee, people in the industry started noticing me. But Hoichoi’s Lojja got me an audience. Reactions poured in from people I did not know. Also, many unknown people opened up about their own experiences of abuse. My character acted as a trigger point to many. When my mother, who has always been away from the industry, expressed her disgust for my character, I realised that I did justice to the character,” the actor recalled, adding that after Lojja, people started recognising him on the streets.
As of today, Anujoy takes his fame lightly and by his own admission, it has been a conscious call. Anujoy keeps the spirit of his humble middle-class background of Baidyabati and Belgharia alive in his heart. “I wanted to be a cricketer. My mama Ashok Majumder, a theatre actor, saw an actor in me. I started my training under Sohag Sen at Ensemble. She is my guru. In the group, I first started taking responsibilities and that helped me to overcome my shyness,” he said.
Anujoy’s acting duel with Anirban Bhattacharya
Anujoy’s character Somnath in TRJ is very loosely based on Shakespeare's Benvolio –Romeo’s cousin. He shines in the striking verbal duels between him and Anirban Bhattacharya. “Anirbanda has been my idol since my early theatre days. I remember watching his plays again and again. He, for me, was the brightest glamour quotient in Bengali theatre. He also knew of my existence as a fellow theatre worker. But we first worked together in Srijit Mukherji’s Durgo Rohoshyo,” he said. TRJ is their second work together.
People behind TRJ, including writer Durbar Sharma and director Arpan Garai, have been friends and many of them have theatre backgrounds. Anujoy – one of the key parts of the circle – knew about the project. “Durbar is a dear friend, and he first mentioned it. Then I had a word with Arpan and finally, the process started. Durbar has penned a fabulous script and I am glad that I could be a part of this project,” he said.
How was Anirban as a creative director? “TRJ is a collaborative project. Durjoy and Arpan first briefed me about my character. Arpan also elaborated on how he wanted things to pan out. When Anirbanda came, he suggested a few changes here and there. That’s about it,” he said.
‘I am a fan of Irrfan Khan’
Interestingly, it is not money or stardom that seems to attract Anujoy. When we asked him where he wanted to see himself in the next 10 years, he talked about his journey and not about a destination. “I am an ardent fan of Irrfan. Every night I watch his Reels on social media. I keep on scrolling till I fall asleep. And every night I see how much more effort I need to put into my work to reach the lowest milestone he set in the universe of acting. When I was young, fame used to attract me. Theatre taught me a different worldview. Now I want to act in different corners of the world, maybe in Finland or the Czech Republic. Not for fame but to understand the way people in different parts of the world see the art of acting,” he said.
However, the Bengali entertainment space has its limitations and is often criticized for mediocre content. Can that limit Anujoy as an actor? “Actors are like mercenaries. We fight the battle that is perceived by others – directors, writers, and so on. I always believed that even a momentary screen presence can flaunt your acting skills. I bank on that. I used to play cricket. I keep faith till the last ball determines the fate of the match. I keep faith that good works will come by,” said the actor.
