Rachana Banerjee

Though Bumbada (Prosenjit) is good in all his films, I think Criminal is his best. It was directed by Shankar Roy. I liked Bumbada’s acting in that film.

His character had various layers and shades. Bumbada constantly reinvents the character, from a rowdy hoodlum to a compassionate husband, a father and then an old man. Criminal is different because people have mostly seen him as a romantic or an action hero.

I liked him most as the ageing father. It was an experimental role and he pulled it off with elan. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role. Bumbada was at the peak of his career, yet he took up the challenge of playing a criminal and an old man. Not too many people would want to step out of their image and play such roles.

Prosenjit with Locket Chatterjee in Criminal

I had played his wife in the film. Though my role wasn’t too big, I enjoyed being part of the film. I am always very comfortable working with Bumbada because he is very grounded and knows how to make his co-actors comfortable. We have done quite a few films together.

Criminal also had slick cinematography, a crisp storyline and good music. It was a very stylised film.

The other film where I liked Bumbada a lot is Sabuj Sathi. Actually, it’s very difficult to choose between the two!