Reluctant Actor, Born Director: Arnab Makes His Bollywood Debut at 24
Filmmaker Arnab Chatterjee has been wielding the camera since he was eight, and he hasn’t looked back since. Despite being offered acting roles, Arnab has firmly rooted himself in writing, direction, and production. His first feature, Murderbaad, is a bold rejection of formula filmmaking, introducing layered storytelling and new talent to the mainstream
Kolkata: Last year, when a young man met Amole Gupte to discuss his proposed movie Murderbaad, the senior actor and director wanted him to act in his film. A determined young director, who has been filming his friends since the age of eight, replied, “But first, you have to act in my movie.”
Meet Arnab Chatterjee, the new kid in Bollywood. The phrase “new kid on the block” is typically used for actors, but this 24-year-old, who has received numerous offers to act in movies, wants to stick to filmmaking. “Except acting, I want to do everything.”
The director, producer, and writer’s first film Murderbaad, a romantic thriller is scheduled to be released on July 18.
Arnab has made several short films, one of which—Unsaid—has won many national and international awards. He also directed the legendary actor Soumitra Chatterjee in Jonmodin, another short film.
An alumnus of MetFilm School, London, and La Martiniere, Kolkata, Arnab is the son of lawyer Ranajit Chatterjee and homemaker Paromita Chatterjee. He has no family background in the film industry.
In a more than half-an-hour-long interview (over the phone from Mumbai), one of India’s youngest directors, Arnab, opened up to eNewsroom.
eNewsroom: I have learnt that the earlier name of the movie was Murdabaad. Was there any reason for changing it?
Arnab: There is a plan behind it, but I don’t want to reveal it right now. I want to retain the title and use it in future.
eNewsroom: In this era of OTT, you could have made a web series, but you chose a 70 mm movie.
Arnab: Since I was 8–9 years old, Cinemascope was in my mind. And that one day I would direct a movie. So I went for it. Yes, even during the making, I was repeatedly requested to turn it into a web series.
eNewsroom: You have done three major tasks—writing, directing, and producing. How did you manage it all, especially since it’s your first film? And which role did you enjoy more?
Arnab: Writing can be done alone, inside an air-conditioned room. But direction is mainly about man management. Every day, you wake up and plan to manage 300 crew members. It creates an ambience and gives me a different level of high, which I enjoy. Being a writer also helps—if you want to make changes in the story, you can do it in real-time. And as a director, you’re always clear about what you want.
eNewsroom: Not only is Murderbaad directed by a new filmmaker, but you’re also introducing Nakul Sahdev, which means a new actor in the lead role. Was there a specific reason for not choosing an established actor?
Arnab: There’s a problem in the industry—everyone wants to make films with big names. I also tried. But there’s a studio system in place—if you want to shoot your movie there, the studio first asks who the stars are. When you approach stars, they ask, “Show me the studio first.” It’s a sort of Chakravyuh you can’t break easily. After spending one and a half years trying, I decided to make my film with actors who value the story and fit my budget. Nakul is not exactly a newcomer—he’s worked for nearly ten years in the OTT industry and has done good work. While I’m launching him as a film hero, he is not a fresh face.
eNewsroom: These days, it’s a challenge for all kinds of filmmakers—experienced or newcomers—to bring audiences to cinema halls, especially after the Covid lockdowns. How challenging is it for you?
Arnab: Again, it’s that same studio-and-star game. Audiences say good movies don’t get made, but when we do make one, they don’t show up in theatres.
Yes, it’s a reality I accept. When people are getting good cinema in their bedrooms, why would they take the time to go to a theatre? But that creates another option—release the movie in theatres first, and then go to OTT platforms. As a writer and director, I’m confident that my film will draw audiences to the cinema.
eNewsroom: How was the experience of directing Bengali cinema legend Soumitra Chatterjee?
Arnab: It was a new and enriching experience. It was my first time directing a professional actor.
In the actor-director relationship, I learnt a lot.
eNewsroom: How was the experience of directing senior actors like Amole Gupte, Sharib Hashmi, and Manish Chaudhari?
Arnab: It has been a very satisfying experience. I am quite confident about their performances. The film unit had all three kinds of actors—experienced, mid-level, and newcomers. Among them, I was the youngest. They accepted me as a director. Many didn’t—and chose not to work on the film, which is okay.
Why would any senior actor work with a 23–24-year-old director with no film industry background? It’s quite natural, and I’m fine with it.
eNewsroom: Coming from Bengal, a region with many legendary filmmakers, is there pressure on you to produce great cinema? And who are your inspirations?
Arnab: There’s no such pressure. It’s actually the opposite—if I can make one good film, it will help me establish myself quickly.
Satyajit Ray and Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski are my two favourite directors. I also admire many Hindi cinema directors like Rajkumar Hirani, Shoojit Sircar, Anurag Kashyap, Anurag Basu, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and several Bengali filmmakers who are making good films today.
I’m not someone who prefers only one genre of cinema. You’ll see that reflected in my work—it’ll be a blend of commercial and art cinema.
Produced by ACJEE Entertainment and presented by Reliance, the film has been shot in Rajasthan and North Bengal. Other actors include Kanikka Kapur, Saloni Batra. While singers are, Shaan, Nakash Aziz, and Amit Kumar.
Best of luck to the young director, who already has several promising projects on his plate.
