Priyanshu Chatterjee Exclusive Interview: “Tum Bin Still Gets Me Work”

Mohnish Singh |Sep 29, 2019

Priyanshu Chatterjee, who is mostly remembered for his 2001 musical hit “Tum Bin”, is currently seen in Hindi film Little Girl, which revolves around a dysfunctional family.

Priyanshu Chatterjee may not have been seen more in notable films of late, but he is not the one the audience has forgotten. People still remember him for delivering a memorable performance in Anubhav Sinha’s 2001 musical hit Tum Bin. It was his debut film which still arrests everybody’s attention on television premieres.

Priyanshu Chatterjee is currently seen in Bollywood film Little Girl, which hit the marquee on 27^th September. Before the release of the movie, STARBIZ met the humble actor and talked to him in detail about his Little Girl, his role in it, and much more.

Priyanshu Chatterjee also opened up about his digital debut with Coldd Lassi And Chicken Masala, what led him to do it, and how Tum Bin is still a film very close to his heart.

Tell us something about the character that you are essaying in the film, Little Girl.

The character that I play in the film is of a cop. Other than being a cop, he is also a father, he is a husband. He is the father of a 19-year-old girl who is in college. The relationship that they share is a bit strained. How he is trying to resolve that is what the film is all about.

What was your reaction like when the makers approached you with the script and narrated it to you?

I really liked it. I really liked it because it is different in its own unique ways. It talks about something which is very close to what the youth is facing today and the kind of differences and distances that they have with their parents. So that is what the film talks about.

There have been multiple films revolving around the parents-children relationship. How is Little Baby different from them?

It is different. Every family, I feel, in some way is dysfunctional. Here what the writer-director of the movie has tried to establish is that how are they dysfunctional, how does a family become dysfunctional, where is that conflict where the parents are not able to meet up their kids’ expectations and vice versa? So, this is what makes the film different.

Plus, at the same time, in a way, it also talks about how technology is making them grow apart. There is no communication between each other. Now, it is about virtual communication. So that is what the film talks about. It is basically a family drama, about a dysfunctional family. How they are trying to resolve the differences is what the film talks about.

Do you feel the audience would connect to the film and its storyline?

I really hope so. I hope so because that is why we made the film. It is pretty much every family’s story today. I think people will be able to relate to it.

Apart from films, you are also acting in digital shows. How both the mediums are different for you as an actor?

I think, essentially, you are still working on a story, right? The idea is to tell a story. The only difference is that a digital series is split between, let us say, 10-12 episodes. The other one is a straight-up two-hour film. It just depends on the makers who are making it, how well they are planning and organizing it. In films, the reach becomes a little bit problematic because it is only a theatrical release, but a webseries when it comes can be seen in the whole online. Anybody can watch it anywhere.

While signing a project, do you ever look at the length of your character in it? Like in the webseries Coldd Lassi And Chicken Masala, you are not the male lead; you are playing a parallel character.

The only reason for doing it was the director of the show Pradeep Sarkar. That is why I did it because Dada and I did a film a long time ago. There was always a desire of working with him on something which is a little more extended, where I have time with him. So that wish got fulfilled and I got to work with him. That was the only reason I did the series.

You began your career with Tum Bin (2001) which completes 18 years in 2019. How do you look at your journey over the years?

It is fantastic. It is beautiful. I consider myself to be very lucky to have been able to do what I have been doing. Tum Bin was a big break for me, a turning point in my career. It still gets me work.

Would you like to explore the digital medium further?

Yes, definitely. I would love to do both - films as well as digital shows. I feel that they both in their own ways are out and reaching and building their own audience. We get to work with a variety of different concepts and story ideas. So, absolutely, I would love to do both more.