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| Subrata and Shaheb Bhattacherjee. Picture by Rashbehari Das |
A doting dad. A caring son. And with a lot in common. That’s Subrata Bhattacherjee and Shaheb Bhattacherjee. The father-son duo tell t2 about themselves, their lives and their dreams.
Subrata
Do you remember the moment when Shaheb was born?
Yes, I still remember. Shaheb was born on November 17, 1985. I was away playing the Rovers (Cup) finals in Bombay. That was on the 16th. We won and I arrived in Calcutta in the nick of time. Purna Das Baul admitted my wife to a Park Circus nursing home on the 15th. I was very anxious. I was about to become a father for the first time. I could not wait at the nursing home. I was taking a walk around Park Circus, I was so tense....
Was it your idea to name him Shaheb?
I named him Shaheb. Dekhte saheb-er moto. He looked cute right from when he was a kid. My daughter is also very cute. My wife is very good-looking. (Smiles.)
What kind of a kid was he?
He was never a naughty kid. He is still the same. Aamar Shaheb, no matter how late it is, he comes to my room after he returns from work. He is very obedient. Ulte aamake bojhaye: ‘Don’t go there; katha bolbe na’. I listen to him. He is very intelligent. He knows how society functions.
How different was your childhood from Shaheb’s?
The difference is that of hell and heaven. When I look back on my childhood, we went without food for days. My father was very poor, it was very difficult for him to run a family. He used to work in Nicco; very little salary. Those were very hard days. My father used to sell milk from door to door. Daridrotar chorom aamra dekhechhi (We have seen the heights of poverty), something that my son cannot even imagine. We used to walk 4km to reach school. Those were very difficult days, but somehow we crossed those tough hurdles. Any kind of problems or financial crisis was borne by my mother. She was a real inspiration.
Through all that I continued playing... I had a goal. My father did not have much interest in sport. He was fighting for his family. But my mother had set a target for us: “You have to be like Keshto Pal… a good footballer… a big man”. She inspired me a lot, but she was unable to buy anything for me. I asked her for a pair of boots. At that time, the price was Rs 15. My mother said: “How can I arrange for Rs 15? You leave football”. But my maternal uncles and some of my relatives are very fond of football. They got me the boots and I started my career.... The younger generation is not interested in listening to our stories of struggle. They don’t even bother.
But my son is very good, very sober. Like we had a sense of duty towards our family, Shaheb also carries out his duties. What you achieve in life depends on your dedication and hard work, but you must be responsible towards your family and respect your elders.... I have told them that there might be a time when you may not be earning any money, it doesn’t matter to me. If someone comes and tells me that your kids are very good, I’ll be happy. That means more to me than money. Shaheb is so soft-spoken. I am proud of my kids… very happy for them as well.
Are you sad that Shaheb did not take to football?
Not at all. He has never been interested in the game. He was six or seven when I got into a conflict on the Maidan. He did not like that. Now, he has become a supporter of East Bengal; I don’t know why! (Laughs.) ‘The (Mohun Bagan) officials tortured my father… deprived my father’… these thoughts have crept into his mind. I have told him the loyalties of everyone in your family lie with Mohun Bagan. How can you support East Bengal?! (Laughs out loud.) Then he started playing cricket. I used to take him to Arun Lal’s academy. Then he started acting. I encourage that. Why should I feel bad? I guide him.
He has been acting since his childhood. He has done films with Anjan Chowdhury and Prabhat Roy. He has also done a Japanese film on Netaji Subhash. He is talented. Other senior actors and actresses of Tollygunge have told me that Shaheb has talent. Mithun (Chakraborty) has told me that “tor chheler pratibha aachhey”. Mithun is a very old friend of mine, since 1974-75. He was not an actor then. That is enough. What more do I want?
Among his films, which is your favourite?
There was a scene in Prabhat Roy’s Lathi where his character had to perform his mother’s last rites. Shaheb thought je shotti bodhoy porachhey. He started crying. It was just perfect.... Among his recent films, I have seen Gorosthanay Sabdhaan. I liked it. See, when people say he is doing a good job, I feel happy. Aamar Shaheb successful maane aami successful. But sometimes I do get afraid… jodi na paare?
Are you also sometimes scared because he is in the big, bad world of entertainment?
There are complications in every sphere. You have to be tactful. I tell my son to avoid controversies. Jo sehta hai, wohi rehta hai (The one who can endure will last the distance).
You have also acted in a few films…
I used to hang out with Uttam Kumar. Tarpor with Mithun. I have done Jabab, Maa Ek Mandir, Shesh Aghat, East Bengaler Chhele, and the serial Stopper. My son hasn’t watched them. But Shaheb’s acting talent is inborn, not from me. Aamar theke holey aar hoto na (If it was inherited from me, he would never have made it)! I have recently acted in Jug Jug Jiyo… it is based a lot on my life. Korte pareni. They haven’t been able to capture my struggle... Shaheb now tells me how to dub and which angle to stand in front of the camera.
Father to son, what is your message for him?
Samaj ke bichaar kore cholo.... There is a lot more competition now. Thirty years back and now, it is very different. I always advise my son to be tolerant — don’t get into arguments and controversies. If you are intolerant, you are finished.
Finally, what is your dream for him?
He should be a good person. Bhalo acting korle naam hobe. But may he remain the way he is. Abhinay kore ki pelo na pelo sheta pore dekha jaabe.
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| Shaheb and Subrata Bhattacherjee at the Mohun Bagan grounds. Picture by Rashbehari Das. (Shaheb’s outfits by Rajarshi Mukherjee) |
Shaheb
What does your dad mean to you?
When someone is starting one’s career, one tries to follow someone or try to be like someone. So, when I started my career or planned on doing something, I thought that I would do things the way my dad has done things because he has been successful that way. There wasn’t an actor as such that I could look up to and say that I’d be like him. I had this larger-than-life person in my home itself. That is what he was and still is — someone I look up to and want to be like.
At what point did you realise that your dad was a star footballer, a celebrity?
It was always there. Whenever you are out with him, there are people coming up to him or talking to him. Onek beshi advantages... Kolkata shohore ontoto... Baba’r ekta alada parichiti... I have always been aware of his aura, his star power. People keep talking to me about him. I remember a Mohun Bagan-East Bengal match… we were strictly not allowed to go to the field and watch a match. That is one of the reasons why I never developed a knack for football. Lukiye lukiye I had gone to watch a Mohun Bagan match when dad was the coach. That day Mohun Bagan had won. People were going berserk. They had no idea what they were doing. The moment my father stepped out of the stadium, he was mobbed. That was an out-of-the-world experience… people cheering for him and picking him up on their shoulders. I had heard about such things happening when he was a player, but I had never witnessed it. And he was so chilled out about it!
Why do you think he never allowed you to go to the Maidan to watch a match?
The reason that he gave was that after the ’90s, Maidan-er paribeshta khub kharap hoye gechhilo. The sporting spirit was gone. Lots of fights and accidents used to happen. It had become barbaric.
How tough or easy is it being a star kid?
If there are 10 advantages of being a star son, there are a few disadvantages as well. Whenever you are trying to make a name for yourself, if your father is a huge figure, it becomes very difficult. Usually when young guys start out, they start from scratch. They can gamble as they have nothing to lose. I started when I was 10. In my case, if I had failed, people would have pointed fingers and said that Subrata Bhattacherjee’s son is a failure. People are much more critical.
Why didn’t you take up football? And was your dad disappointed?
That happens when you watch the game a lot. After I went to the field once or twice without telling my dad, I got the vibe of the game. Thousands screaming at the top of their voice for a team… but I watched cricket when I was a child. I tried my hand at cricket for Bengal (U-16). I don’t think my dad was disappointed. It is necessary to be successful in whatever you are doing. You don’t have to be a footballer because you are a footballer’s son.
You might not play football, but do you follow it?
Now, I do.
And you support East Bengal?
He told you that?! (Laughs out loud.) He once told me, “I am getting to hear that you are an East Bengal supporter. Eshob katha jeno baire na jaye”. (Laughs out loud.)
Do you discuss football with your dad?
Sometimes, especially, when he is the coach of a team, we discuss a lot. But he tries to keep his profession out of the house.
Is your dad more of a mentor or a friend?
I think he is more a mentor because from childhood, the role of a friend has been played by my mother. She participates in everything that we do. He has a strict hold over us. Otherwise we would have just been swept away… I don’t know where.
Your dad has seen the highs and lows from very close quarters. What have you learnt from him?
He is a very straightforward person. That has cost him heavily in his life. He keeps telling us that the times are such that you have to be diplomatic. But it is in the genes... I hardly follow that! (Laughs.)
Do you share common likes and dislikes?
That’s a tough one! I have to like what he likes! (Laughs.)
Are you a little scared of him? You said you won’t be able to do this interview in front of him!
That probably comes out of respect...
What was his reaction when you said you want to be an actor?
That happened gradually. Whenever he came back home, he would call my sister and me and discuss about planning our lives and careers. One day I told him that I wanted to take up acting seriously. He said whatever you want to do, give it your 100 per cent. Do not do things half-heartedly. You should be disciplined in whatever you are doing.... When he got to know that I was serious about taking up acting, he was okay.
Does he watch your films?
For my first film Gorosthanay Sabdhaan I got passes and everything, but he said ‘no, I am not going for the premiere’. (Laughs) I was shell-shocked! He has never been to a theatre in 20 years or so. I have never seen him go to the theatres. He was very nervous as to how people would react. I got a DVD for him later on.
But he has also been an actor...
Oh! Please do not talk about that… He’s acted in quite a lot of films. I tell him why have you done it? You should have just played football. I would not say they were bad... but they were like shot 10 years back and they don’t fit our bill. He had long hair. Weird and funny! (Smiles.)
In which role do you like him best: footballer, coach, administrator, TV expert?
I think he has been his all-time best as a footballer. The stories that I hear from his playing days just leave me mesmerised. When we were shooting for Feluda, Benuda (Sabyasachi Chakrabarty) narrated an incident. He was in Delhi and Mohun Bagan was playing the Durand Cup. My father was the stopper. Benuda was in the galleries. They were playing against JCT. There was this fight that broke out on the field during the match and my father took on two Punjabi footballers — tall and stout — all by himself. Benuda was so inspired seeing my father, he punched a Punjabi taxi driver sitting next to him! (Laughs.)
Finally, describe your dad in a word.
Larger-than-life.
