✍️SUSANTA PAUL CHOWDHURY
My respected guardian, who is familiar as the legendary thespian, Soumitra Chatterjee acted in six feature films, one tele film and one ad film under my direction.
The names of the six feature films are –
1) Hridayer Ekul Okul
2) Aajo Duchokhe Tumi
3) Antordaho
4) Aparajita
5) Ek Jhank Ichche Dana
6) Eka Ebong Eka
I have certain memories still fresh in my mind which I want to share with everyone.
He was an extremely polite gentleman despite being a great megastar. I have fond memories working with him. Years back before the shooting of the feature film “Antordaho”, one day, I went to his house to hand over the script, but he was not present at his residence. Next day morning around 9, I called him and said, ‘The car will reach your house at 10 A.M’. He said, ‘That is okay, but I will start shooting after one hour because I am a weak artist, so I have
to rehearse’. It shows how much he was sincere and serious about his work.
He was a very kind hearted man which perhaps few know. One day at Golf Green, I was going to Bibhashda’s house (Chakraborty).Soumitrababu was then outside
the main gate of his house and was about to get in to his car to go for the shooting of some film . He looked at me and asked ‘What are you doing these days?’ I said “My last three
films have flopped, so I am now unemployed and have no work currently’. He said, ‘Tomorrow
morning, come to my house before 10 A.M. It is urgent’. Next day when I
went to his house he gave me an envelope and said, ‘Run, Run and Run,never stop and never be frustrated. Remember failure is the pillar of
success.’ After coming out of his house, I became astonished
as I discovered after opening the envelope that he had given twenty thousand rupees. I cried as I was too stunned to do anything else perhaps due to joy.
Within one month, I started a feature film, “ANTORDOHO” starring Jishu Sengupta, Rimjhim Gupta, Anuradha Roy, Gyanesh
Mukherjee, Sabitri Chatterjee and Soumitra Chatterjee. It was a superhit.
All I can say is I will be forever grateful to him and seek his blessings from above always though he is no more with us .