It’s 8.30pm on a January weekday and Anjan Dutt is looking for a quick smoke. He has run out of cigarettes. The actor-filmmaker-singer-songwriter asks for one from his make-up guy but without any luck. He wants the 62-year-old to cut down. But then, Anjan magically pulls out a stick from nowhere! “Can you tell me how I got this one?” Anjan asks. “I’ve got this from Gairik’s (Sarkar; DOP) wife… dao deshlai ebar!” he smiles playfully. “Nobody smokes in this film. Pratim doesn’t want us to smoke. And my make-up artiste is not letting me smoke any. I’m down to 12-13. Usually it would be 20-21 in a day,” says Anjan on the sets of Pratim D. Gupta’s second film (after Paanch Adhyay), Saheb Bibi Golaam.

Just an hour ago, Anjan was dead serious as he coolly assembled a gun in a room on the roof of a house in Ballygunge. “Left pan, looking interesting, roll… action... take a last sip, and now you’ll have to find its (the gun’s) case… just look away… cut,” says Pratim, of Team t2. Anjan, with glasses pushed back on his forehead, does everything just right. A t2 chat with Anjan.  

So who are you in the film?

I play contract killer Jimmy Luke who once was a senior cop. He keeps some of his old guns in a room on the roof. He assembles and makes his homemade stuff. He has some old, seized guns with him… the killing-oriented instruments are in that room. Though I play a killer, I am a clean man. I open my shoes, take off my jacket, wash my hands, take out the milk, pour it on a platter, give it to the cat, look at a picture of Christ once, say a prayer, start cooking… everything is very precise. I had to be very very precise, with whatever I do, even when I’m speaking. He is very clear in what he is doing. Slowly you find out why he is alone, what is his problem… but he is doing all this with a certain kind of sensitivity. 

Take us through this gun assembling process....

Every role is defined by its profession and I prepare from the professional point of view. Since I’m a contract killer, I’ve practised putting the gun together, which I’ve done on my own. I’ve handled a sniper rifle… I’ve learnt how to focus, what to do... I’ve gone through these things. I didn’t need a gunman to take me through the steps. I did them on my own. I picked up tips from the action master Shantanu, and some from policemen I know. I’ve held the gun, fired it… figured what goes in first, where the silencer goes, fitting in the telescope, how to clean the rifle, look through the nozzle… all these things I’ve practised, and now I’ll do what Pratim wants me to do. 

Have you handled guns before?

Never. I have also learnt playing the cello for the film and worked on my flexibility. I cannot afford to fumble in this film. When I’m assembling the gun I can’t make a mistake… I practised for a month. Picking up a body, dragging him along the streets, putting him into a taxi… I’ve done it all. I’ve played roles where fumbling is required. But here I had to be very very precise. If I’m cooking, if I’m drinking, if I’m following somebody, it’s precise. I’ve worked on that. 

Was it difficult?

Yeah, in the sense I’m not an outdoor kind of a  person and I don’t do any exercise. Pratim wanted an old man with a pot belly, who drinks. I just gave him an edge, made the walk upright. I didn’t go gymming.

There’s a lot of action which I did for the first time. There is a lot of physicality with this character. Running up and down the stairs. They put me up on the roof of an eight-storied building, I walked up in my boots… almost on the ledge. And they were shooting from the roof of the opposite building, and that was pretty dangerous. 

Was it scary?

Yes, but I cannot be scared. I am not supposed to feel scared. 

Why did you agree to act in this film?

I really liked the story, the idea and structure of Saheb, Biwi.... And it’s very different from what I’ve done before. I’ve never played a killer before. And Jimmy is good at killing people. This is his job. 

I have always wanted to play a dark character. But nobody gave me that in my 30s. Now, finally, Pratim has...

You seem to be enjoying Pratim’s style of working...

He is very sure of the way he is shooting the scene. He is not taking random shots. In most cases because of the digital medium I see a lot of people taking a lot of shots, which they can afford to because they are not shooting on negative. In the process they take all kinds of shots, which do not build a scene. You get lots of busy-ness on screen, but you miss out on the emotional quality of that scene. Though this is Pratim’s second film, he is very sure of the shots he is taking. He is not taking shots he may throw away later. His dialogue-writing is very terse, very clear… if you cannot act those dialogues out well, you miss out on nuances. 

Did you watch any film to help you play Jimmy Luke?

Pratim had told me about Jean Reno in Leon: The Professional. I saw it two-three times. My character is emotionless... he is a cold, cool character, except when he plays the cello. That’s when he opens up.... I also saw Bad Lieutenant since it’s also about the futility of being a cop. 

Did you discover any facet of your personality while portraying Jimmy Luke?

Every actor has a sense of brooding and futility. I’ve reached an age where I know this is the last leg of my career. I know deep inside that I don’t have playing time left. Be it a concert or a successful film, I know time is running out for me. So I’ve tried to find a parallel with the futility of the whole situation. 

Do you want to act in more films now?

I want to act in other people’s films. I do feel there’s an actor in me neglected by the industry for a very long time. The films I acted in, in the 1980s, won awards but were not seen by a lot of people. People haven’t watched the films I have acted in, in the same way they have heard my songs, or seen my movies. I have not got that sort of a fan following as an actor. But I was capable of that. Now that it’s happening I am keen to act. I’ve learnt it and honed it over the years. And I was in a situation where I wasn’t getting the right roles. I regret the fact that I wasn’t used. Maybe there are new directors out there now who want to work with me. 

The actor’s job is to become the character and then to find a motivation. I don’t build a character on dialogue. It’s difficult to find a director who takes actors seriously, someone who is searching while we are performing.  

You must be aware that there’ll be comparisons with other films featuring snipers?

Today’s audience won’t take s**t. They have seen Day of the Jackal, and so many other films featuring snipers and will inevitably make comparisons. Nobody will think then that I’m 62. They want the real thing, and see how convincing one is on screen. The audience want to see good cinema.

As an actor, I’m deeply involved. I don’t want to stay put in a make-up van. I want to be part of the scene. Most people are thinking that Anjan Dutt’s happily acting in films now because of the success of Byomkesh Phire Elo. Khit khit korchhe na (he’s not snapping at anyone). It’s all about the director and his team. Pratim and Gairik know their job so well, and I’m enjoying acting in this film so much, maybe after Antareen.

While shooting Aparna Sen’s Yuganta, which went on for more than a year, I got really tired after a point. I had to walk into the sea half-naked at 3 in the morning. I got very annoyed after some time. I said ‘I can’t do it anymore’. Rinadi (Aparna) told me, ‘Anjan, just remember, the film will remain. If you’ve come so far, just give your best.’

It was a very big learning process for me. I realised no matter what happens the image will remain on screen. 

Arindam Chatterjee
Do you agree that Anjan the actor has been neglected by Tollywood? Tell t2@abp.in