Rajit Kapur on Basu Chatterjee: ‘Will remember him as a no-nonsense guy’

Rajit Kapur talks about the things he learnt while working with the late Basu Chatterjee, his last conversation with the late filmmaker and more.

Actor Rajit Kapur, who worked with Basu Chatterjee in Byomkesh Bakshi, has opened up about what he learnt from the filmmaker, who died Thursday morning following age-related illnesses. Basu is known for portraying ‘common man’ sensibilities in films such as Rajnigandha, Ek Ruka Hua Faisla, Baaton Baaton Mein and Chitchor.

A few episodes of Byomkesh Bakshi were directed by Basu Chatterjee.

Speaking with The Times of India, Rajit said, “I have learnt a lot from Basuda while working with him. One of the greatest things was his sense of humour. The smile on his face never vanished. One of the most important things I learnt from him was the art of budgeting a shoot and understanding why time equals money. By watching him work, I learnt everything about the work behind the scenes. Byomkesh Bakshi gave me a lot in my career.”

Rajit also talked about his last conversation with the filmmaker. “It has been over two years maybe since we last spoke. I had bought a poster of his film and had gone to his house to give it to him. That was the last time I met him. I will remember him as a no-nonsense guy. The only person who could ever say anything in return to him was A K Hangal. They had an equation where they could have that exchange. Most of us followed Basuda like pupils in a school,” he said.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit had said earlier in the day: “He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the morning. He hadn’t been keeping well for quite a while due to old age problems and died at his residence. It’s a great loss for the film industry.”

Apart from his popular Hindi projects, Basu also made Bengali films such as Hothat Brishti (1998) and Hochcheta Ki (2008). He also left his mark on television with series such as Byomkesh Bakshi and Rajani for Doordarshan.

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