Primarily known for his antagonistic roles in Bengali cinema, veteran actor The book has been scribed by author Suman Gupta.
The autobiography reveals bare insights on the actor’s cinematic career and personal life. Quite a significant number of memorable and untold moments of the septuagenarian artiste have been captured in the book. It also includes a few rare photographs of Chattopadhyay’s early days and his cinematic journey.
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“I’ve been brutally honest in the book, although 60 per cent of its content has been censored — thanks to my razorsharp tongue. In fact, I was banned for quite some time from the film industry. I do not see the point of bashing me for stating facts. I’ve learnt to call a spade a spade from all of my life experiences,” said Biplab Chattopadhyay.
Starting his acting career in theatre with “Bahurupi” and tutored by theatre artist Shambhu Mitra, Chattopadhyay made his debut in cinema in Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pratidwandi’ (1970).
Since then, he became most film directors’ go-to person when in need of an actor who could effortlessly play an anti-hero. He was summoned by Ray for the second time in ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ (1979). He also played the character of ‘Jayanta Mallick’ in Sandip Ray’s ‘Kailashey Kelenkari’ (2007) (also a Feluda film).
He has acted in over 150 films. Apart from his cinematic career, he has been deeply involved in socio-political activities.
Inquiring about how he saw himself as a reader, Biplab Chattopadhyay told The Statesman, “I’m an avid reader. I love reading literature and try to do it regularly. My best-loved authors include Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, Nihar Ranjan Gupta and Ashutosh Mukherjee. I’m overwhelmed to find that so many people still love me. I’ve dedicated my book to Soumitra Chattopadhyay. I’m sure he would be delighted if he were alive. I’m quite keen on knowing how readers react to my book.”
