Chander Pahar

I have never felt so scared. It was the scariest night of my life,” says Dev, rewinding to the bone-chilling experience in South Africa when a python was coiled around him. Dev was shooting for Kamaleshwar Mukherjee’s Chander Pahar and he was gripped by raw fear. Sensing his fear, the python, who was licking his face, tightened its grip around Dev, who plays Shankar. “After a point aami chere diyechhilam (I was resigned to my fate),” he says. The shoot involving the python went on for three nights. And, the scene is not there in the film!

“The film was becoming too long, so that sequence was dropped. But they have said that the scene will appear during the end credits,” smiles Dev.

Chander Pahar gave Dev sleepless nights but he treasures the time he spent in South Africa shooting for the film. He fought a lion, encountered a black mamba, a herd of elephants and got into life-threatening situations for “the most important film” of his seven-year career.

“I am really proud to be a part of this film. Kamaleshwarda is a genius. A Hollywood production would have done the film in the same way. The canvas of the film is so huge. We have done everything for this film. All the team members took great risks for Chander Pahar. Now when I see the scenes I am really amazed by them,” says Dev, chilling at Vedic Village on Tuesday.

Were you familiar with the novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay?

I knew the story, and read it after I was offered the film. And when I read it I thought, ‘Can this be made into a film? Is it possible?’ I had a whole lot of questions after reading the book a few times. I wanted to know how we would show Shankar with the lion... it should look credible. I knew we were getting into this really risky zone. I asked Kamalda how are you going to show the period (1909)? If Chander Pahar hits jackpot at the box office, then my producer might think of doing another adventure film....

What was your first reaction when you learnt that you’ll be playing Shankar?

I was surprised. Last year when I was shooting for Khoka 420 in north Bengal, I got a call from Shrikant Mohta to keep my dates free for Chander Pahar. I thought he was pulling my leg once again. We had often thought about making the film. After a week, he called me again.... When I met Kamalda, he was carrying a stack of 20 files with him. I asked him, ‘Are you sure you see me as Shankar?’ And he said, ‘I won’t be able to make the film if you don’t agree to do it. The film needs you as much as you need it.’ I asked ‘why?’. He said that he was looking for a well-built person with an innocent face. That’s the USP of Shankar. And he said that he thought of me as Shankar while watching the songs of Challenge 2! Tumi chhara hobe na!

Picture by Pabitra Das

I feel Kamalda should be in Hollywood for the kind of work that he has done and the amount of sincerity and dedication he has shown towards the film. He is such a perfectionist. Since some amount of post-production work is left, he is not going home. He is sleeping in the studios. I learnt so much from him. How to be humble, how to keep a cool head at work... there wasn’t a single day when we didn’t face a problem.

How did you read Shankar?

Shankar is like a superhero. He can ride horses, fight with lions, black mamba and he can climb mountains. Shankar is actually the Bengali’s superhero. He can solve all problems. Since childhood, I was always drawn to jungles. That’s why I spent the maximum amount of holiday time in the jungles. So I would pick Ooty over Goa! In the jungles, there always is a sense of adventure and you get to see some amazing animals. I am more of a jungle boy!

Were you also into sports like Shankar?

I was the captain of the kabaddi team in school (Purushottam High School in Bombay). But then ja hoy. Career er chaap, career er pechhone chhut-te chhut-te chhut-te…. Being the only son, I had to take on responsibilities. Chawa gulo aaste aaste chole jaye, lokhho ta shimito hoye jaye (the goal becomes narrow with time). So I didn’t think of pursuing sports, but for this film I did horse riding, mountain climbing, jungle trekking, swimming, jumping, chasing and what not!

How could you connect with Shankar?

The script, and the narration, was very clear. For me, the biggest challenge was to portray Shankar so convincingly that people should see Shankar in this film, not Dev....

Every person dreams of doing something nijer jayga theke beriye (out of the comfort zone). Shankar doesn’t want to work as a kerani or in a jute mill. Instead he went on this fascinating adventure. I had left everything behind in Bombay and had come to Calcutta. It was an unknown place and I didn’t know anyone in this city. I used to stay at Sealdah lodge. I would visit the studios in Tollygunge, show my pictures to two or three people and come back, stick around for a few days and return to Bombay. That was in 2005.... But my dreams were big. So I am really fond of this character. I can relate to the character. So I became quite emotional when the shoot came to an end in Taki. I lived with Shankar for a year.

Dev wields the bow and arrow like a pro

What was your homework?

We had memorised every line, all the dialogues in the book. Before the shoot I had done mountain climbing and horse riding. I wanted the character to ride the horse like he owns the horse. I didn’t want a body double to climb mountains. We became so involved that we couldn’t sleep at night. If I wasn’t happy with a shot, I would go to Kamalda the next day and request him to do it again.

What was the toughest day in South Africa?

The first day we were to shoot with the lion. I couldn’t sleep, so I reached the spot by 8am. Since I was waiting, I fell asleep in the car. After an hour I hear shouts and screams. I wake up to find the whole forest on fire. And it had spun out of control. We realised the whole set that cost around Rs 4 crore would be burnt down. And on the other side there was the lion. That was the toughest day. The fire started around 10am and we put out the fire by 4pm. Any other crew would have fled the scene but we put our lives at risks to put out the fire. Nobody left the spot. The jungle was saved because of all these people. Finally, we had the best shot of the lion Columbus on that day.

How did you shoot with the black mamba?

We could hear the black mamba hissing from the other room, it was so loud! Black mamba can kill an elephant. And you cannot take out their venom completely. I had many sessions with the person who was there for the snake and he told me I’ll die if he bites me. ‘I don’t know how long you will live, but you’ll die for sure’! He showed me his hand. The snake had bitten him and he had to chop off his own finger to save himself. We shot the scene with the black mamba only a few feet away from me.

The place where we were shooting was full of snakes. We would start shooting after doing a puja. To reach the shooting location, we had to walk for an hour through a jungle. And that was snake territory. As we walked we saw rattlesnakes coming out of holes in the ground. We would stomp our feet.... A spider there can kill you, they are so venomous. We had a few specialists on our team who would guide us, tell us what leaves, branches not to touch. One day the unit (around 100 people) was advancing towards a mountain top and around 20 of them broke into a rash!

Why did you take all these risks?

We wanted to give our best. I wanted to give the audience the real thing. I understand why everyone felt so protective towards me. But aamra shobai ekta neshar modhye chhilam. We knew we wouldn’t get this opportunity ever again. For a year, we worked like mad. We went mad for those 70 days in South Africa.

What’s the biggest compliment you have received so far?

Everyone’s saying Chander Pahar looks like a Hollywood film. All Bengalis in the world should watch the film. This film is more than the individual. I am really proud of this film. It proves we can do a film on this scale. And I realised so many things. In the jungles, there’s no network, telephone, no family members... we had money, but not any place to eat. You need to be at peace with yourself. There is nothing permanent, and it’s only you who can change your destiny. Just keep on working hard.

Dev is the right choice to play Shankar because... Tell t2@abp.in