Veteran actor Prosenjit Chatterjee spoke about his long association with Kakababu, the future of the franchise and the relevance of children’s stories in today’s cinema during a candid conversation exclusively with Ei Samay at the International Kolkata Book Fair.
Reflecting on his return to the iconic role after more than a decade, Prosenjit said, “I played Kakababu 13 years ago, and after 13 years, he is playing Kakababu again. After watching Bijaynagarer Hirey, people have been saying that Kakababu seems to be getting younger, while Sontu is growing older.”
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Carrying Kakababu through time
Laughing, the actor explained the effort behind maintaining the character across years. “Well, yes, actually, maintaining Kakababu for 13 years comes with a responsibility."
He added, "When bringing Prabir back, one of the biggest challenges was that this is a prequel. When I try to make a film, I try to stay with that character for years. For that, whatever preparation is needed-physically and mentally, I make sure I do it.”
Prosenjit also addressed conversations around Kakababu potentially going beyond Bengal. “I won’t name the Hindi industry specifically, but some of the big stars who are my age have asked me directly, whether the Kakababu franchise could be made in Hindi. They are interested in the story and the visuals. Obviously, if someday Kakababu becomes a national character and a big star plays him, I won’t give up Kakababu.”
Children’s stories still connect
Speaking about children’s literature and cinema, Prosenjit said, “There is a vast treasure of children’s literature-we have works by Sunil-da and Shirshendu-da. It’s not that work isn’t being done on them. Sometimes efforts are made, but perhaps because the acceptance isn’t always huge, producers hesitate to take responsibility.”
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He added that meaningful work has still found its audience. “If you look closely, work related to children has happened beyond literature too, 'Sahaj Paather Gappo' was made. I presented 'Dostojee', and people watched it in huge numbers.”
Sharing a recent anecdote, Prosenjit recalled a conversation with Chiranjeet Chakraborty. “He told me, ‘Listen, there’s a programme happening just across from my house, I think it’s a children’s sports event, and they’re playing Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne there.’ That means we haven’t really become disconnected.”
As the conversation drew to a conclusion, Prosenjit Chatterjee made it clear that for him, characters are not just roles but long-term commitments for him. And that responsibility makes him the umbrella of the industry.
