Striding across the language barrier

Subrat Dutt is a sought-after actor in Bollywood and in Tollywood after winning awards for his performance in Madholal Keep Walking at Cairo and for Bibar (Bengali) at Osians.

Which Bengali films are you currently working in?

Koyekti Meyer Golpo has just been released. I am currently shooting for Lattoo which has a very interesting plot full of twists and turns. Target Kolkata is almost 60 per cent complete. I am looking forward to the release of Blind Lane directed by Amitabha Dasgupta.

What made you do a guest appearance in Koyekti Meyer Golpo which is a woman-centric film?

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I cannot imagine refusing Subrata Sen. He gave me my first big break in Swapner Pheriwalla. Koyekti Myere Golpo is different. I am the narrator of the story as well as a character in it. I am a blind writer who is suffering from writers block. Love changes everything. In Lattoo,I am a rock singer who faces the biggest hurdle in his career as he cannot write his lyrics. In Target Kolkata directed by Kartik Singh,I play the hero who is an undercover agent and arrives in Kolkata to gain control.

How have you evolved as an actor?

I am living my life through my work. I am trying to find the right way and consider actors like Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah as my icons. I do not carry the burden of technique. I do not carry my personal baggage with me. I have learnt to portray the situation rather than the character. I try to look at myself without any baggage. The situation must be credible for the audience. Situations are filled with a wide range of possibilities and do not narrow the actors focus the way concentrating on a character does. It helps the actor take a holistic view of a given film,a particular shot,a sequence of events and interaction with his co-actors.

Tell us something about your Hindi films.

I have done an interesting cameo in Reema Kagtis psychological thriller Talaash which is awaiting release. There is Baaromaas directed by FTII alumnus Dheeraj Meshram where I play the main lead with Seema Biswas and Benjamin Gilani. It is based on a Sahitya Akademi winning Marathi novel. I am also in Manish Srivastavas Charlie Ke Chakkar Mein which is a psychological murder mystery with Naseeruddin Shah. It is a jointly produced film where we have all put in our money and no one is being paid a single paisa. There is Kaaphal directed by Batul Mukhtiar in which I play a man who repairs bikes. Kaaphal is a delicious fruit that grows in Uttarakhand. There is also Oass directed by Sudipto Sen that deals with human trafficking. I play a man who runs a brothel but cannot speak because his tongue has been cut off. It is a challenging role and I am looking forward to its release.