Prosenjit. Picture by Samar Das

Prosenjit has broken his promise. Instead of a few hand-picked films, his kitty is full with about 16 movies, both off-beat and commercial. Tollywood’s hero no. 1 tells t2 why he is back to being the busiest star around and why Mithun’s popularity doesn’t really bother him...

What films are you working on now?

I’m shooting for Swapan Saha’s untitled film opposite Rachana (Banerjee) and Subhas Sen’s Aparadhi opposite Priyanka Trivedi. I will start Anup Sengupta’s next film this month and then there’s Swapan Ghosal’s Mahakal. There are four more films with Swapan Saha.

I’m also doing a film each with Sandip Ray, Sujit Guha, Raj Mukherjee and Anindo Banerjee. Plus, Rituda’s (Rituparno Ghosh) Saheb Bibi Golam with Vidya Balan. Then there are a couple of films with Shree Venkatesh and one with Haranath Chakraborty.

But I must mention that in every film I have a different role. None of my characters is even remotely close to the other. I am working double shifts again, like I used to early in my career.

Any releases in the pipeline?

Yes, definitely. Shree Venkatesh has bought the rights of Rituda’s Khela, which is slated for a Poila Baisakh release. Then there’s Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Swapner Din and Ami Yaseen Aar Amar Madhubala. Golmaal and Rituda’s Shob Charitra Kalponik will also release this year.

But you had decided to cut down on the workload...

To be honest, I want to work more than ever before. There’s not much time left. This is my last phase as an actor. I will continue for maybe four years more. So I want to do all kinds of films as much as I can. And directors are still keen to work with me. I am still at the peak of my career 25 years on. So why not?

Will you retire after the present lot of films?

No, I will continue acting, but I will be very choosy. I will do one or two films a year. My focus will be on direction. I will definitely direct a film next year.

Purushottam and Ami Shei Meye were the last films I had directed. I want to do the kind of cinema Mani Ratnam does, which appeals to the classes and filters down to the masses as well.

Are you doing any homework to be a director?

I am reading scripts whenever I have time. But I will direct a film only when I’m in love with the script. I’m also concerned about the budget. I had made Purushottam for Rs 94 lakh, which was huge. I had got technicians from Mumbai; Chinni Prakash was the choreographer. I don’t want to compromise on the technical aspect. I may go overboard with the budget this time.

But now you have that liberty after tying up with Reliance Big Movies...

Yes, my production company Ideas has tied up with Reliance Big Movies and Shob Charitra Kalponik is our first venture. We want to produce a lot of films, both off-beat and commercial. In the pipeline are a film with Babuda (Sandip Ray), Rituda’s Saheb Bibi Golam and one by Buddhadeb Dasgupta starring Mithun.

We plan to take our films outside Bengal. There is a potential market in Orissa. We are also eyeing the international market.

Is there too much pressure on you to deliver?

Prosenjit cannot deliver hits individually. If eight of my films release a year, I know only two of them will be superhits, four will be good and two will flop. But all the films will recover their cost.

Do you feel threatened by Mithun’s popularity?

Mithunda is not my competitor. He’s like an elder brother. If Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan does a Bengali film tomorrow, they won’t become my competitors. They are stars in their own right. Mithunda doesn’t do my kind of films. He is not a romantic hero. His audience is different from mine. He is a national figure. It is his greatness that he is doing Bengali films. It wouldn’t matter to him if he didn’t do them. He has the luxury, we don’t.

Finally, which was your best film in 2007?

Business-wise Bondhu and performance-wise Greftar. I was very upset last year because quite a few of my good films like Khela, Swapner Din and Ami Yaseen Aar Amar Madhubala got stuck. I believe Khela will take me a step forward and I will be recognised by the international audience.

But 2007 has been great in terms of foreign trips, first to Cannes for Dosar and then to Toronto for Ami Yaseen Aar Amar Madhubala.

(Do you think Prosenjit will be a good director? Tell t2@abpmail.com)