Parambrata Chattopadhyay on doing few Hindi films & playing an idealist in 'Bulbbul'

Bengali film star Parambrata Chattophyay says he may have missed on some great opportunities in Hindi cinema, but movies that come to him from Mumbai are handpicked and by directors who really want to work with him. One of biggest names in Bengali cinema, Parambrata me his Hindi film debut with Sujoy Ghosh's thriller Kahaani in 2012. His or Hindi projects include Gangs of Ghosts, Yaara Silly Silly and Pari, where he worked with actor-producer Anushka Sharma.

In Bulbbul, produced by Anushka and her bror Karnesh Ssharma's Clean Slate Filmz, Parambrata plays role of an emancipated man of medicine. "re are two reasons for me to do few films in Hindi. I have my priorities here as I juggle a lot of hats- I make films myself, I produce content for my company and I have a lot of films as an actor here. That has always me me t leave my roots and settle in Mumbai", actor told PTI in an interview.

"Maybe I have missed out on some great opportunities but it is partly by choice and partly because of consequences of choice I me. Hindi films that I have done or I will do in future are handpicked and have come from directors who want to work with me. That's mainly how it has panned out", he explained.

40-year-old actor said director Anvita Dutt's Bulbbul, set in late 19th century Bengal, was one such project. It is story of a child bride who grows up to be an enigmatic woman whose life is overshowed by strange killings in her vill.  As doctor Sudip, Parambrata said he plays a modern man with ideas of equality and emancipation in Netflix movie that examines patriarchy through legend of witch.

Sudip is ahe of his time but he kws that if he wishes to see change in society, he has to take one step at a time. He can't go around shouting about those changes so he has become a man of medicine. Speaking kind of langu he speaks or way he thinks, was very rare for era. world was a different place back n.  He is an idealist who kws how to go about in life realist manner, actor said.

legend of chudail' or witch has been a part of many a childhood stories but Parambrata said he became aware of word only after watching Hindi movies. "We learnt about word chudail' only after we started watching Hindi films and getting exposed to Hindi langu and culture because for us, it is essentially pretni' or shakchunni'. stories are similar in sense that y live on trees and come down at night to devour men", he said.

But se stories, he said, are a essentially a social construct trying to make women behave in a n-threatening way. Every time a girl or a woman would behave in what society perceived to be in an unwomanly way or try to do something in what is usually a man's domain, she would be called chudail' or pretni'.

So it brings us to question is it really about supernatural tilt in it or about alienating women when y acquire more power,?Bulbbul' tries to hit it in a way. actor, who is kwn for his films like Apur Panchali, Cinemawala, Shonar Pahar and Samantaral, believes horror or supernatural genre is finally coming-of- in India where it is t just a scary story, connected with a temple or an old mansion.

If you look at classic horror films that are considered bible in genre, every single of m are a comment on a certain aspect of our existence. Like ' Shining' is a comment on loneliness and existence in general. It is only in India that we perceive horror films as a never ending scare fest, usually connected with a temple or an old haveli'. But in last few years, Indian cinema has grown exponentially in terms of its content. Different genres are coming of and filmmakers are making important comments on larger social issues while still being rooted in genres. 

Bulbbul also features Rahul Bose, Paoli Dam, Tripti Dimri and Avinash Tiwary.