Successful actor Chanchal Chowdhury. Wherever you get a chance, you show your charisma! Like stage, drama, and cinema, this time he has proved himself in the recent 'web series'! The eight-episode web series 'Taqdeer' starring him has been released on the Indian OTT platform 'Hoichi'. Chanchal Chowdhury has made a name for himself by playing the title role of the driver of a freezing vehicle under the direction of Syed Ahmed Shawki. The work has been so popular that the series has been dubbed into Hindi and released on MX Player. Many people on the Internet are watching the series and referring to it as one of the best Bengali web series of the last few years. NatunNews Monitor talks to Chanchal Chowdhury about 'Taqdeer' and local drama, OTT.
Grandpa, how are you? ‘Taqdeer’ got a huge response. I saw Chanchal Chowdhury in Daputa!
Thanks, Brother. I look like a bird all year round when I get a good character, story, construction, and director. Its purpose is the same, ‘the viewer gets something good’. We have lowered the value of the audience with our work. But not too many people thought of lifting. Artists have now become a minority from an ideological and ethical place. I don't get anyone by my side when I say the right things. Maybe many are thinking of saying but not getting the courage. In such a time of the decline of the industry, if you protest in interviews or Facebook status from different media, you will not find anyone with you. This is very sad. There was a perception among the viewers that web series means bad. All those spectators are applauding seeing 'Taqdeer' today. In the last two years, I have been asked by various media to do a web series but I have not. Because I wanted what I would do to be the standard of the web series.
How do you get feedback from Bangladesh as well as The other side of Bengal?
Feedback has started coming in since the trailer was released. I took part in an interview presented by Mir of Kolkata. I got many comments there. Besides, The other side Bangla is giving positive reviews from a lot of YouTube-based media-related media. In a few days, many visitors have seen Kolkata and the response has been satisfactory. In a word, very, very good.
‘Taqdeer’ is the driver of a hearse-freezing car, which you did. Were you previously acquainted with such a character and a person? How was your preparation for the character?
I never thought I would appear on screen with such a character. I am a common boy in the village. Where I was born, there lived farmers, laborers, working people. Their life draws me. I feel a different responsibility towards them. Once upon a time, their characters were used in drama movies but now it is not. Now the story is Dhaka-centric. Many so-called stars do not want to leave the brand's clothes and go out of the shell or cannot go. I had at least six months of preparation for the ‘Taqdeer’ character. Then I went to shoot in September.
All the milestones you have worked in. Every time you show skill in choosing everything from stories to characters.
Each person came to work for a different purpose. Acting is a place I like and love. I work from a place of art. I have studied fine arts, I have done theater but I did not think of becoming a professional actor. I don't act to be a star or to make billions. There’s a bundle of money in the shooting every day, but I don’t go. Many artists bring bundles of thick numbers with attendance. But he doesn't see what worked. If I get a good job, I shoot for five days, if I don't get a quality job, I don't go to work in a month. The reason I don't bring a thick bundle home in a month is that the work I will do should be standard. There is no profit in just working for money. From this point of view, I have only 6 movies in 10 years. At the heart of it all is choosing whether the work is quality and showing work with one's own responsibility and honesty. Then good work is done. It's not Great magic. But the trouble is, you have to give a discount. Greed is to be kept low. The audience has to have a sense of responsibility to give quality work. Which is the responsibility of an artist. If the artist does not have a responsibility, he is no different from other professional people. We are lowering the artist's respect with our attitude. And if I have an attitude like ten professionals, why am I an artist?
The story of ‘Taqdeer’ is ours, the shooting location, the artist, the director are all ours; But India's OTT platform was invested. Despite all, we have, why such an excellent work initiative is not being taken from Bangladesh?
Our industry is not professional. Good work is to be professional. Suddenly there can be a ‘Monpura’ or an ‘Aynabaji’ in amateur attitude. But if you want to keep its continuity, first of all, you need professionalism. Our industry could not go to that position. Because here the work goes on personal issues. Nose to another, no advantage; This is going on. I don't know what the new platforms are thinking. Maybe in the future, such work can be invested in our initiative. I also want more work.
In the light of personal experience, tell me, has the content of Bangladesh created a working environment in OTT?
We always had qualified actors, directors; But the field is not made. Our vision is limited. In the maximum case, we know money and business. Drama movies are performing arts. With all this, the industry needs to have qualified people. Those who run a TV, an agency or are engaged with it will not be just businessmen. The industry also needs to be understood. There are very few people who understand this art. If this number increases, it is possible to do a lot of good work in Bangladesh. If you like 'Taqdeer', its story, artist, director, cameraman are all from our country. Only economic support and propaganda have made ‘Hoichoi’. My country must have the ability to do this. The OT has come to us before, where they did not think so! Instead, they have put the dramas, which have received millions of views from YouTube, on their own OT.
Quality work has done all it needs to do. I am grateful for this. They did not have any kind of pressure. They have given full freedom to the director in the selection of artists. Showed no authority. According to that processing, if our OTT platforms go, it is possible to do better. Director Shawki has to speak. She is mentally honest and clean. Worked like himself. I didn't see anything in it except the persecution of good deeds. He could have kept five lakh rupees in his pocket if he wanted. I have worked with many people in the last 20 years. I have seen a lot of directors working out of this greed. Sorry to say that I have worked with many people in my first movie. The people I got in the first movie, I didn't get in the previous place in the following years. I have seen both dramas and movies. I will work honestly for the first five years of my two-decade career. I will earn money by selling name fame for the next 15 years. Again guys have to have the mentality of being honest with qualifications.
For all these reasons, you have reduced the workload?
I have no dreams of my work. Not with TV, not so much with movies. Because making a movie means my six-month bread is over! But now I am looking at the OTT. Web films or series can be done while maintaining quality. There is an opportunity here that is not on TV. My son is growing up. I stay at home, I give him time. However, Amitabh Reza, Farooqi Bhai, Shankha Das Gupta, and some other works are being discussed. Maybe do these things in the next four months.
Entertainment,Film
