Prosenjit Chatterjee: My father and Raj Kapoor shared birthdays, used to discuss and plan parties | Exclusive

On Episode 10 of The Bombay Film Story, we have Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee reminiscing his memories of film shoots in Mumbai

Prosenjit Chatterjee might be a big star with decades of work in Bengali cinema, but he has also been familiar with the world of Hindi films since a young age, thanks to the stardom of his father, Biswajit Chatterjee, who primarily worked in Mumbai. Bollywood, in that sense, is not unknown territory for the star who has hung out with many of his father's associates.

The actor has also been exposed to Bengali filmmakers in Bombay, like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Shakti Samanta, who have delivered some unforgettable gems in Hindi films. Prosenjit shared his memory of the Hindi film industry from that time in a podcast with Mid-day's Mayank Shekhar. 

“As a child actor, I had done a film produced by my father, and directed by Hrishi da. My father’s friends circle included a lot of Bengalis. Shakti da was one of them, he later directed me in Devdas in Bengali. He had a son... there would be a lot of parties, we used to spend a lot of time at his place," Prosenjit said.

"The best part is that the culture of shooting was also very different. The makeup room used to be an important place at that time, and the ambience also used to be different. Nowadays we have vanity vans, but that was a time, during outdoor shoots when the heroine had to change, some sort of arrangement had to be made. So, a lot of changes have happened,' he added.

The actor has also seen changes in technology in cinema over the years. "I have been in the industry for 40 years. I started with a black-and-white film, so I have seen a lot of changes in technology, from how movies were edited to how dubbing was done. All the actors in the scene had to get together in the same studio at the same time to dub. Then the technology changed," he elaborated.

Prosenjit has a soft corner for studios in Mumbai and their unique environment, as well. "Spotboys used to know which actor preferred what. I have seen so many actors closely, they used to come to my dad’s place, or he used to go to theirs. I have shot so much in Mehboob Studio. Another place that I have a soft corner for is RK Studio. I have seen Raj Kapoor shoot there. My dad and Raj Kapoor’s birthday is on the same day. They used to discuss before throwing a party – they would alternate the date between December 14 and 15 every year. I had shot in RK Studio. Now when I go, and see something else… it feels different. RK Studio, Mehboob – these were like temples for us," he said.

The actor also recalled the relationship his father shared with some of the top actors of the time. He recalled, "Dilip saab… I have been in his lap. Outdoor gaye, maybe my dad was a hero in the film, Saira ji bhi thi shayad. They used to go for late night dinners, Dilip Kumar saab ghar pe, who bole bachhe ko rakh ke jao mere paas. We had a very different kind of connection with the industry. Last year I was in IFFI Goa, Asha Parekh was sitting in front. I was being felicitated. I sang a song for her, I sang Pukarta Chala Hoon Main from my dad’s film. It went viral."

Listen to the full podcast here.

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