25 years of Rituparno Ghosh's Utsab: Prosenjit Chatterjee recalls memories of shoot, says it is one of his best films

In an exclusive interaction, Prosenjit Chatterjee opened up about starring in Utsab, the 2000 release directed by the late filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh.

Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee is earning acclaim for his performance in Subhrajit Mitra's Devi Chowdhurani. The film was released just ahead of Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the year for Bengalis. The actor is not new to seeing a film of his release during puja, having been part of several other films that have enjoyed a release during this time of the year.

Prosenjit Chatterjee opened up about Utsab as it completed 25 years since release.

On memories of Utsab

In an exclusive interview with HT, Prosenjit even recalled memories of shooting Utsab, the acclaimed Rituparno Ghosh film set during Durga Puja. Interestingly, the film celebrated 25 years of release this year. It received tremendous acclaim and won Rituparno his first National Film Award in the Best Director category.

Also starring Rituparna Sengupta, Madhabi Mukherjee, and Mamata Shankar, Utsab is a beautifully crafted family drama that explores the intermingling traditions and emotions centred around a family gathering during Durga Puja.

Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta in a still from Utsab.

“Utsab is one of my best films,” says Prosenjit, with a smile. “The concept that Ritu took to construct that film has been attempted many times over by other filmmakers, in different languages. The concept of a family coming together, and the internal conflicts that follow… But as always, Ritu was ahead of his time. I stand by that all the time. He left us so soon, but yeah, it was a huge learning experience for me… that film. I miss him. Even my house is named Utsab.”

Rituparno died of a heart attack at his South Kolkata home on May 30, 2013, at the age of 49.

On the exposure of Bengali films and actors

The actor goes on to talk about the growth of Bengali films in the last few years and adds, “Bengali films have seen so much growth, in every possible way. There are so many exciting talents that have helped Bengali films grow stronger. For me, one of the noted Bengali films is Chokher Bali [starring him alongside Aishwarya Rai, directed by Rituparno Ghosh]. It was one such film that the entire nation took notice of. I always feel that we must make films that reflect our roots, our realities… that can be accessible to the nation, just with the help of subtitles. People can go and watch it. If we can reach that space with our own rooted stories, that would be extremely beneficial.”

“I still believe that for us, our literature holds a lot of importance. We have such a rich legacy, and wherever I go to work, I see Bengalis. I think it is a great time for Bengali artists as well, the kind of exposure that they are receiving,” he concludes.