Having worked in a series of intense films away from the perceived commercial circuit, actor Tannishtha Chatterjee feels that it’s never been a conscious decision to select only serious projects. “There are different reasons why I select a film but it has never been a conscious choice that I don’t want to do commercial films and romantic comedies and only want to do serious heavy roles, it’s not that," she says in an interaction with News18.com.
The actor, who has been a part of several critically-acclaimed films including Brick Lane, Parched and Shadows of Time among others, shares that after her initial projects, people started viewing her as an actor meant only for serious roles. “In the beginning of my career, because I did get a break from international films like Brick Lane and Shadows of Time, people started viewing me as somebody who’ll only do something very serious heavy and complex."
“I’ve also been very spoiled by getting a lot of female-centric films, so there’s stereotyping and typecasting I think," she adds. Chatterjee, however, is quick to add that while mainstream Bollywood now offers a varied range of genres and experimental works, she wouldn’t like to be a part of a project wherein women are being objectified. “I’m not going to do something that I’m being objectified as a woman and I’m being treated like an eye candy where men are gyrating on me in the posters. I will not accept that sort of a thing but having said that, mainstream Bollywood has many different kinds of films. It’s not only those very sexist romantic comedies. Nowadays, a lot of younger directors are making very interesting choices in the mainstream genres," she said.
The actor, whose 2013 film Monsoon Shootout, will finally see the light of the day on Friday the 15th December, points out that maybe the audience wasn’t ready for a film like this back in 2013 on being asked about the 4-year gap between the inception and the theatrical release of the film. “It’s always very difficult to release these kinds of films, even though it was an official selection at Cannes and was received very well there. I guess the audience for a festival and the international audiences are very different from an Indian audience for films. The kind of films that get appreciated there are different than the kind of films audience wants to watch here," she said.
She adds, “But now, the market has opened and geared up to different kind of films now. I guess 2013 was a bit too early for a film like that and now it’s the right time to release this."
She further notes that while there was an audience back then too, the audience, in general, has now evolved in terms of content preference. “I think it’s because they’re more exposed to the digital medium. For the younger generation, there’s a world beyond the mainstream and big theatrical releases. I guess there was always an audience but they didn’t know how to access it and the access to the digital medium is more democratic," she adds.
Stating that her choices are based on different factors, Chatterjee recalls how Monsoon Shootout came into being. “I really liked the script and the idea of Monsoon Shootout. At the point of time, it was a novel idea. And Amit (the director) is a friend, he was assisting a film I was working in and he shared the idea with me."
Even though she plays a small role in the film, the actor says that she liked the idea and thought the film should be made. “I just like the idea of a whole thing of making choices, and one has only a few seconds in life to make a choice and the way it affects your life and the people around you, the people with whom and for whom you make the choice. It’s an exploration of that sort of a psychological thing. I like the idea and thought it should be made."
Directed by Aminoirar, the psychological noir thriller, Monsoon Shootout, stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vijay Varma and Neeraj Kabi in key roles besides the actor.
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