A still from Ahalya.
Kolkata:
He is an 80-year-old who became an Internet sensation recently with his 14-minute film Ahalya, but Soumitra Chatterjee is not too moved by all the fuss. Probably because he is yet to join social media where he has been a top trend for playing the older, amorous husband to a seductress played by Radhika Apte.
"It's not difficult following social media but I usually hear about the feedback through phone calls and text messages," said the veteran actor. Did he know about Buzzfeed? Not really, and neither is he on Twitter but he's not at all intimidated by new forms of storytelling. (Also Read - Ahalya is a Regular Woman Just Being Herself: Radhika Apte to NDTV.com)
"I have done more than 300 films and am not limited to Satyajit Ray films," he said, adding that he was excited by the novel form offered by Ahalya. "I thought it would be carried by channels," he says when asked if he expected it to be such a sensation, adding that he never gave too much import to audience reaction.
Of course, he does care much more about the reaction of his co-actor Radhika Apte who told NDTV.com that Mr Chatterjee was a very charming and forward-thinking man. When we told him about her comments about him, he simply responded by smiling and saying, "I have worked with her before, you know.' He added, "She is very attractive."
Soumitra Chatterjee, the hero of many films made by Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, only received a National Award a couple of years ago, much to the anger of his friends. Speaking on NDTV show Agenda, Mr Chatterjee said he didn't think much of such award committees as they don't have any credibility. In fact, he went a bit further to say that if Ray hadn't got international acclaim, "fifty percent of his films would be commercial flops." (Also Read: Radhika Apte as a Modern Ahalya Will Give You the Chills )
This cutting honesty meant that the veteran star didn't mince his words about the FTII controversy: "Who is Gajendra Chauhan? Don't you need a body of work to hold that post? I don't know him."
"It's not difficult following social media but I usually hear about the feedback through phone calls and text messages," said the veteran actor. Did he know about Buzzfeed? Not really, and neither is he on Twitter but he's not at all intimidated by new forms of storytelling. (Also Read - Ahalya is a Regular Woman Just Being Herself: Radhika Apte to NDTV.com)
"I have done more than 300 films and am not limited to Satyajit Ray films," he said, adding that he was excited by the novel form offered by Ahalya. "I thought it would be carried by channels," he says when asked if he expected it to be such a sensation, adding that he never gave too much import to audience reaction.
Of course, he does care much more about the reaction of his co-actor Radhika Apte who told NDTV.com that Mr Chatterjee was a very charming and forward-thinking man. When we told him about her comments about him, he simply responded by smiling and saying, "I have worked with her before, you know.' He added, "She is very attractive."
Soumitra Chatterjee, the hero of many films made by Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, only received a National Award a couple of years ago, much to the anger of his friends. Speaking on NDTV show Agenda, Mr Chatterjee said he didn't think much of such award committees as they don't have any credibility. In fact, he went a bit further to say that if Ray hadn't got international acclaim, "fifty percent of his films would be commercial flops." (Also Read: Radhika Apte as a Modern Ahalya Will Give You the Chills )
This cutting honesty meant that the veteran star didn't mince his words about the FTII controversy: "Who is Gajendra Chauhan? Don't you need a body of work to hold that post? I don't know him."
