Abir Chatterjee on Avrodh 2: In the Bengali industry, we can’t afford Bollywood’s scale of production

After working in the Bengali film industry for years, Abir Chatterjee has stepped into OTT with Avrodh 2. While the SonyLIV series has received mixed responses, the actor’s performance has received generally positive reviews. Meanwhile, the actor has also been busy shooting for Dhrubo Banerjee’s Karnasubarner Guptodhon – the third film of the Sonada franchise, and Arindam Sil’s Byomkesh Hatyamancha. In a chat with OTTplay, the actor discusses his experience in Bollywood. 

The actor points out that the primary difference between Hindi and Bengali industries is the scale of production. “To give you an example, if it starts raining while shooting in Tollywood, we would try to finish off some of the indoor shoots. It is because we operate with a limited budget and time. Instead of wasting the day, we would think of utilising the time on some other things. We, as senior actors, take active participation in the decision making,” he says, comparing with the case of Avrodh 2, where the production team manages a day's loss in case of some unforeseen events. “In Tollywood, I am not just an actor but also a stakeholder. My seniority insists that I take some more responsibility. That is not necessary for Bollywood. They can afford to have a bigger scale to take care of such things,” he says. 

Also read: Avrodh 2 review: All actors in Abir Chatterjee's series are a spectacle, story not so much 

Abir also says that the experience that he has gained over the years in Tollywood is helping him to explore the Hindi film industry. He also says that as an artiste he will always want to explore new possibilities and try to reach out to a wider audience. Abir has never shied away from new experiments. During the lockdown, he hosted a music reality show on TV and that was appreciated. “As an artist, I always ask myself, what’s next. During the lockdown, when everything was shut down, I got a chance to work on TV. That was a new venture and learning experience for me. Soon after that, I got the offer of Avrodh 2,” he says.