"I’m a common man at heart and that’s what I play in Suman Ghosh’s Nobel Chor...
Mithun Chakraborty tells t2 as he settles down for a half-hour chat at ITC Sonar Calcutta on Thursday afternoon. Produced by Ashwani Sharma of Impact Films, the film hits the theatres on February 17.
You’ve watched Nobel Chor. How has the film shaped up?
The director has given me a beautiful shock! I got the lovely shock of my life while watching the film.
Nobel Chor is a much better film than what I had expected it to be. Suman’s making is excellent. He has presented the film in a unique yet simple manner. Those who think Nobel Chor is a film for the intellectuals are wrong. It’s a common man’s film. Every common man will understand what Suman is trying to say. I loved his narration. It is fantastic. People will enjoy Nobel Chor.
And did you like yourself in the film?
That’s up to the audience to decide. An actor will always say things like, well, I have given my best, I have done my best but I leave it to the people... let them decide.
How would you describe your character in Nobel Chor?
Bhanu is a farmer who lives in a village with his wife (Soma Chakraborty) and son (Rishi Mitra). He is a very simple man. One day he notices the Nobel medal in the backyard of his hut and he doesn’t understand what it is. He doesn’t know what to do with it. He goes to the village Mastermoshai (Soumitra Chatterjee) for advice who tells him to take it to Calcutta. And then his journey begins.
Bhanu is a common man and yet he is different from the common-man characters I have played in so many films.
In what way is Bhanu different?
The difference lies in Bhanu’s simplicity. He is too simple. For him the word mulyabriddhi (inflation) only means the price rise of potatoes and tomatoes! Bhanu also tries to project himself as a very intelligent man and he thinks that he understands everything but he doesn’t. He doesn’t even know the value of the Nobel medal. He doesn’t even know who Rabindranath Tagore is! So basically, Nobel Chor is Bhanu’s journey through all this and to understand who Tagore is and what is a Nobel medal. When he understands all of it, he becomes different from the rest.
You are very down-to-earth in real life. Does playing a common man come easy to you?
Oh yes, till today I am a very common man. But I am an actor, so playing any role is easy for me. I have played different characters like a mafia don or an orphan in Disco Dancer or a south Indian character (Krishnan Iyer MA) in Agneepath. I have played Sri Ramakrishna in Swami Vivekananda. I have played a variety of roles. You can see the range.
But are you most comfortable playing a common man?
An actor should not be comfortable playing only one kind of a role. An actor should play whatever his director wants him to play. I am a director’s actor. I do whatever my director wants me to do. I understand him first and then do his film. That’s the reason why I said yes to Suman even though he was just two-films-old (Podokkhep and Dwando) then.
Were you satisfied working with Suman?
Oh yes. He doesn’t look like he is just three films old. Looks like he’s been doing films for many years (smiles)! His thoughts transform so well on celluloid. Suman is an intelligent director. I haven’t seen his last two films, I generally don’t see the past work of the directors I work with. What’s the point? What will I do with his past? I like to live in today. What he wants to make with me is what matters to me.
Your last Bengali film Ami Subhash Bolchhi, where again you played a common man, didn’t work...
First of all, I think the release of the film wasn’t proper, the time wasn’t right. Or maybe nowadays the youth don’t connect with Subhash Chandra Bose that much, maybe the youth have a different thinking about Bengal, maybe they found the film old-fashioned in thought and content.
You don’t do too many Bengali films, there’s just one release a year...
Hmm, actually I have that much time only. Every year I either do two Hindi films and one Bengali film, or two Bengali films and one Hindi film. I have two shows to anchor (Dance India Dance on Zee TV and Dadagiri on Zee Bangla).
Have you bid goodbye to potboilers like Tulkalam, MLA Fatakesto, Tiger...
No. My next release is Le Halwa Le, absolutely opposite to Nobel Chor. I have watched it and enjoyed dubbing for it. It’s hilarious and very massy. Raja (Chanda, director) has done a good job.... You see, I don’t like this question anymore. When I do films like Tiger, Tulkalam or MLA Fatakesto, I am told people want to see me in meaningful films like Shukno Lanka or Nobel Chor. When I do meaningful films, the same people come back and ask me why don’t I play to the galleries anymore. I have always balanced myself but this time I have taken all those people very seriously! I will seek their advice henceforth (laughs out loud)!
What’s the status of Gaurav Pandey’s Spaghetti 24x7 starring you and son Mimoh?
It’s almost complete. There’s just one song left to be shot which we will definitely do this year and the film will be ready for release.
Have you signed any other Bengali film?
Well, they (Shree Venkatesh Films) are still writing the script for Goonda Fatakesto. It has to be very, very different, so it will take time. Mimoh’s debut in a Bengali film may happen anytime this year.
What are you busy with in Mumbai?
I just finished Housefull 2 (directed by Sajid Khan), I am doing OMG which is an Akshay Kumar production where I have a very interesting and challenging role but I will talk about it later. I am also doing an untitled film directed by Neeraj Pathak with Sunny Deol.
Most of last year you weren’t keeping too well, health-wise...
Yes, but now I am completely fit. I’ve just done my CT scan and the reports are good.
In your last interview to t2, you’d said that you would cut down on work...
Well, I think I’m still in demand!"
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