'In him resides a fierce lion of an actor who would have made Stanislavsky proud.'
'With Rocky he started with his body, his hair, his clothes; then his walk, his language, the constant listening to Punjabi hip hop and before long we couldn't differentiate between Ranveer and Rocky.'
Tota Roy Chowdhury, the Bengali actor's Kathak performance in Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani has stunned audiences.
"The primary and the only factor that prompted me to take up RRKPK was Mr Karan Johar. I am a huge fan of his films and his sensibilities," Tota tells Subhash K Jha.
Welcome to Bollywood... and it can't get more Bollywood than Karan Johar... do you agree?
Completely. Karan Sir is the last of the titans taking forward the legacy of Yash Sahaab (Chopra).
What he practices is rapidly becoming a lost art... the art of celebrating movies in all its splendour, being unapologetically Indian, showcasing our vibrant culture, our music & dance and cocking a snook at people who expect to see the depiction of a hungry and poverty ridden India in our films.
He gives us a reason to go back to the theatres with our families and enjoy the movies as we have grown up watching.
Why don't we see more of you in Hindi cinema? What prompted you to accept RRKPK?
I would love to be in many more Hindi films. However, I'm a bit choosy as far as the role and the adequacy of screen space is concerned.
Also at this stage of my career, I need to be excited about the story and the script.
Above all, being a director's actor whose primary objective is to fulfil the director's vision; working under the right director is of paramount importance.
And one must understand that I have painstakingly built up an audience base in Bengal over the last two decades and will have to chose films and roles carefully so as not to disappoint my core audience.
The primary and the only factor that prompted me to take up RRKPK was Mr Karan Johar. I am a huge fan of his films and his sensibilities.
The highlight of your fine performance is your Dola Re Dola jugalbandi with Ranveer... It is that sequence that breaks gender walls so very gently and yet so firmly... How did you approach this historic moment in the script?
By blindly submitting myself to the vision of the director. I was also goaded by the abject fear that Bhansali sir, Madhuriji and Aishwarya would probably watch it (Dola Re Dola featured in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas with Madhuri Dixit [Chandermukhi] and Aishwarya Rai [Paro] dancing in the memorable sequence).
And I was dancing with Ranveer who is easily one of the best dancers today with Tattad Tattad and Bajne De Dhadak Dhadak behind him. In the film I'm teaching him Kathak, so I needed to match up.
Please tell me about your preparation for the dance jugalbandi. Karan tells me that you learnt Kathak for a month.
Being proficient in Kathak was a pre-requisite for this role, so as soon as I was on board, I started with my practice.
Kathak is a vast subject and I didn't have that much time since I was also shooting for other Bengali projects. So I did an abbreviated course under Paromita Moitra in Kolkata and later practiced the choreographed sequences diligently with Nikita Banawalikar under the supervision of Vaibhavi madam (Merchant) for a total of around 40 practice sessions over a period of 4 months.
Are you a good Kathak dancer now? Good enough to perform on stage?
Truth be told, I have completely forgotten the steps since I stopped practising soon after the sequence was canned, but can pick up from where I left if I am required or motivated to!
What was the experience of working with Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh?
As a director, Karan Sir has three rare qualities that sets him apart from the others.
Firstly, his crystal-clear vision. He knows exactly what he wants, how much of it he wants and how to extract it out of his actors.
Secondly, his empathy and kindness towards his cast and crew.
Never a harsh word nor any impatience or irritation; his sets are the happiest and the calmest that I have worked in.
Thirdly, his supreme confidence in his brand of storytelling. No ambiguity or self doubt there.
RRKPK has been the best experience of my cinematic journey so far and I doubt whether it will ever be matched up.
And Alia Bhatt?
Alia is gifted. Her instincts are so sharp that one can only be born with it. Her understanding of her craft is incredible and scary for someone so young.
What you have seen of her, so far, is just the tip of the iceberg and in the next five years she will further mesmerise us with her incredible acting prowess.
Ranveer?
Ranveer, well, God created Ranveer on a Sunday. He is such a good natured and well brought up young man, full of love and positivity.
I have understood and experienced the phrase 'positive aura' after meeting him.
But don't be fooled by his easy going nature nor his blings.
In him resides a fierce lion of an actor who would have made Konstantin Stanislavsky proud had the father of method acting been alive.
With Rocky he started with his body, his hair, his clothes; then his walk, his language, the constant listening to Punjabi hip hop and before long we couldn't differentiate between Ranveer and Rocky.
He is the quintessential Hindi film hero; a rare actor whose fan base stretches from 7 year olds to 77 year olds.
Now that we have seen you in a Hindi film, we would like to see more of you in Bollywood. What are your forthcoming projects?
I was waiting for Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani to release to gauge whether the Hindi film industry would at all accept me.
Now since the response is positive and many a director stating their intent to work with me, I shall take the initiative to move things forward.
