[Radio Interview is available in this Link]Samrat Chakrabarty-the name may sound very Bengali to you-but he is indeed a Hollywood actor. He graduated in acting
from American Repertory Theate
r and Moscow Arts Theater School . His film credit includes famous US TV
productions like "Law and order", "Sorpanos" and many more. He also acted in the Bengali movies like Bong connection, Piyalir password.
On 16th March, His latest Bengali movie
Dwando will be released all over North American home entertainment market through Netflix, Amazon and Blockbluster. Dwando will create a history on 16th march-indeed it will be the first ever Bengali movie which will be released in the
North American market concurrently with India. This has all been possible thanks to Databazaar Media ventures who would distribute Bengali movies in North America
on First day first show. This is quite sensational considering we do not get latest Bengali release in North America.
Biplab: So Samrat welcome to VNN Radio,
Samrat: Thank you for having me, Biplab.
Biplab: You have a truly international film career, you have acted in Hollywood, Bollywood and Tollywood, and it’s really amazing at your age. Can you please share your experience, how you feel about all three industries?
Samrat: I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, in America, and my parents thankfully gave me an education in many things Bengali, specifically -Rabindranath Tagore, at the age of 8, I was well versed with his music and poetry. In the US, I grew up watching mostly Caucasian actors on television and films. Movies like ET and Star Wars, is what I grew up on. Then at some point, my mother rented a Hindi film called “Namak Halal”, starring a young Amitabh Bachchan. It really changed my life. All of a sudden I saw on the big screen, someone who was Indian with a substantial role. And that inspired me to watch more Indian cinema, films like Satyajit Ray’s Apu’s Trilogy, and ultimately planted the dream of one day becoming a screen actor.
As far these three “Industries” (Hollywood, Bollywood and Tollywood) are concerned, I find many similarities in them. But first off, I would rather call Bollywood, “The Indian Film Industry” and Tollywood “The Bengali Film Industry” because they are not “wanna-be” industries, they ARE industries in themselves. In fact, the Indian Film Industry is the biggest film industry in the world. It HAS been for a long time and only now it’s getting some spotlight on a global scale.
Personally, I have had a very similar experience with all three Industries: I have looked up to people like Spike Lee and got to work with him in the Hollywood film “She Hate Me”. I have enjoyed numerous films made by the great Indian Film production company, YASHRAJ, who have made classic Amitabh Bachchan films like Silsila and I just worked on a film last year under the YASHRAJ banner called “New York”. And similarly, I have looked up to Soumitra Chatterjee, for years, since APUR SANSAR, and he is in both of the recent Bengali films I’ve done: Bong Connection and Dwando.
I remember, during the production of DWANDO: I was coming out of the dubbing room as the legendary Soumitra Chatterjee was getting ready to go in. We had some chai in the waiting area and he shared with me some funny anecdotes of what happened on the sets of Satyajit Ray’s “Aranyer Din Ratri”. That was quite a memorable moment for me.
I feel extremely lucky to be a part of all three industries and work with people who have inspired me to become an actor in the first place.
Biplab: So in the film DWANDO, your character is involved in an extramarital love affair. Did that character come to you naturally or how did you come about creating the character?
Samrat: (Laughs.) As an actor, my job is to tell a story, in a truthful, believable and in an interesting way. And I have played many different characters ranging from serious interrogators to romantic lovers. Part of being an actor, has to do with bringing ideas of self and self experiences to the character. But the other part of creating a character has to do with imagination and collaboration with the director.
Biplab: How much input and freedom did you get from director Suman on that, on the creation of the character you played in DWANDO?
Samrat: Suman gave me space to improvise, to help me bring my own authenticity to this character. His clarity of vision and generosity as a director was amazing. I would ask him questions sometimes, about a specific a line or a specific moment and he would answer them with ease and yet encourage me to explore it in my own way. Suman really created a comfortable environment to let the work happen. It was great to work together with him to find my character who portrays the lover of the of role played by the beautiful Ananya Chatterjee.
Biplab: How was your experience working with her? And how would your rate Ananya Chatterjee on an international standard?
Samrat: I think Ananya is a very strong, spontaneous and natural actress. I think she is here to stay and she will make waves. Working with her was a pleasure and a lot of fun because she is so down to earth and yet powerful. You can see it in her eyes; there is a lot of gravitas. There is effortlessness in her acting. I’ve had many co-stars in Independent, International, and Hollywood films, like the British actress, Rebecca Hazelwood in the film KISSING COUSINS or the accomplished Hollywood/TV actress Elizabeth Reaser in the film THE WEDDING WEEKEND. And to be honest, Ananya is right up there with them, in her skill, talent, and professionalism.
Biplab: That’s good to know…But being a South Asian, do you have a hard time in Hollywood? Because in my experience: I have seen that unless you are Caucasian, it is very difficult to make it big in Hollywood. So do you think that in that sense, Bollywood and now Tollywood are opening up more opportunities for South Asian actors in the United States?
Samrat: Yes I think it is a slow process but we are moving forward. I think the Indian and Bengali Film Industry are opening up new channels for South Asian actors in the US. And I think the fact that DWANDO is releasing on the same date through all these channels like Amazon, Netflix and Blockbuster, all over the world, IS a historical event. And we need to do this more, if we want to move ahead.
Frankly speaking, it IS difficult to make it in Hollywood, if you are not Caucasian. It’s been 55 years since the great African American actor, Sydney Poitier, won an Oscar. How many other African American Best Actor Oscar winners have there been, since? Not enough. I pray that it takes Indians a quicker time in today's high-speed Internet society we live in. But unfortunately we are moving at a low speed. Ultimately, I think we need to share and support our community, we have to come together. There is only one way to move forward on a global level, we must stop things like PIRACY. I want to say this one more time. We must stop piracy when it comes to DVDs.
Biplab: How do you rate Bengali cinema on an international standard and what are your suggestions on getting Bengali cinema more visible on a global scale?
Samrat: Well, let’s start at the beginning, Bengali Cinema matched and surpassed international standards during the times of Satyajit Ray. In fact, Ray’s APU trilogy won all the awards in the international festival back then. And I think, in today’s world, the content is already there. But it’s about keeping up a high standard for both production values and story, and getting it out there.
In Suman Ghosh’s DWANDO, the production values and story are beautiful. It has stunning cinematography by Barun Mukherjee and gorgeous music by composer Mayookh Bhaumik that are on a global standard. So Bengali cinema is already there on an international standard but now its really about supporting the film community. Again, NOT through piracy but thru legitimate channels.
We, as global Indians, must stop buying or renting pirated dvds at a discounted price. If one rents or buys a copy of a film (not the original), then the filmmakers lose money. If filmmakers lose money, they will not have money to make new, quality films.
Biplab: I think these days, more dangerous than piracy is the torrents, because these days in Bit Torrent, thru computer download, you can get any movie.
Samrat: Exactly. So if we continue to support the ORIGINAL prints of filmmakers like Suman Ghosh, Rituporno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, then the Bengali or Indian cinema WILL continue to rise and be successful in the global market.
Biplab: My final question: What's your career plan?
Samrat: My career plan is very simple: I want to continue to tell stories as an actor through the medium of cinema, specifically stories that are relevant to TODAY’S society. Whether that is in Hollywood or The Indian Film Industry, or The Bengali Film Industry. To me, cinema is a universal language. It goes beyond Bangla or Hindi or even English. You can do a silent film and express everything. It doesn’t matter if it takes place in LA, New York, Bombay or Kolkata. Let's continue to make it happen.
