“And it stays with you – the goodness, the heart-warming experience, that little sentiment for the characters and that satisfaction of being an actor to live it…” Rahul Bose wants to go on talking about his role of Snehmoy in “The Japanese Wife” but he has time constraints.
The film, released recently, is Rahul's third film with Aparna after “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” and “15 Park Avenue” . Bose says he still can't exactly get over the character of a rural Bengal school teacher Snehmoy Chatterjee he played in “The Japanese Wife”.
The film is based on Kunal Basu's story in which Snehmoy and Miyage, (Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku) become pen friends and exchange wedding vows through letters, but in 15 years of letter exchange, they never meet. Snehmoy couldn't go to see her when he hears of her suffering from cancer. Meanwhile, a young widow Sandhya (played by Raima Sen) comes to stay with her little son. He enjoys a new relationship of understanding with them while his unflinching loyalty to Miyage remains.
“I found the story very heart-breaking; a fatal love story where spoken commitment is bigger than practised commitment. It takes you back in time when we were a lot more trusting, a lot more loyal and a lot more traditional in approach. Though today also we are still loyal in our relationships but it is beneath several layers of pressure,” Bose pauses to think.
Quite social and vocal when it comes to speaking on issues like piracy, saving environment, child abuse etc, for Bose, a quiet Snehmoy was a test of temperament, skills and disposition.
He admits, “Snehmoy was extremely difficult character to play though not insurmountable. It was his internal characteristics like he is reclusive, shy, lonely, alone, friendless is almost opposite of what I am. For me they are dysfunctional qualities. So I had to draw from outside; by meeting people who are like them or draw references from the past and internalise them. Sometime you get influenced by say, a person's stammer and you attempt to portray it – you make a good show of it but it is not necessarily true. In this case too, I had to make an effort to be true and believe me, it's not easy.”
Bose learnt to ride a bicycle like the schoolmaster, wore dhoti-kurta and thick glasses to appear rural. He laughs, “Yes, I did, and hope my urban upbringing didn't mar it.”
Of late, Bengali cinema through filmmakers like Aparna Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Gautam Ghose, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, etc, has seen quite a range of Bollywood actors trying their luck for the sheer substance and range in roles. If veterans like Sharmila Tagore and young actors like Raima Sen, Konkona Sen Sharma, etc. are already home with them, Sameera Reddy, Priyanka Chopra and Priyanshu Chatterjee have just joined the league. Bose avers it has much to with the time than the industry temperament.
“Entry of new filmmakers has quite changed the scenario in Bengali cinema. The new filmmakers are trying to get actors from anywhere, not only Hindi films. The reason, I think is that they are more into contemporary stories that require actors of certain looks. Aparna Sen started it by casting Rakhi and Rituparno followed it. I think it's good for actors who want to do experimental work.”
Experimental is also the key word for Bose and that's precisely the reason, he moved to what he calls “art house cinema” or “world cinema”. He accepts, “I have a different temperament, anywhere where I am not required to go overboard with my role would be a comfortable place for me and arthouse cinema doesn't require me to do that. Hence I prefer to do world cinema that has a wider reach than commercial cinema.”
Being part of Hindi film world for over 15 years now, Bose has been observing the change closely. He finds it predictable and parries the query on whether he is ‘happy' about the change.
“The rapid change our Hindi film industry is going through is not unique but predictable. It happens to all the film industries where stars command a certain price and the films follow a predictable pattern. It's going on the Hollywood line. It doesn't matter whether I am happy with it or not, it would take a knowable shape.”
Bose too has signed a few Hindi films and is content with some. Hence, this year, we will see him quite regularly on screen as his few films are scheduled to release.
“I Am” for instance, he says is a “wonderful but dark film” on various issues like social and child sexual abuse, and “Kuchch Love Jaisa” a “soft love story without much fringes”. He worked in “Mumbai Chakachak” “not because of its story but because being a Mumbaikar he felt he should register his presence when it comes to clean Mumbai message that the film apparently gives. All these and “Fired” are slated to release through this year. Apart from that, Bose is shooting for three to four films that he quite feels home with, “One is love story, another is on terrorism and in the third I play a country singer,” his reluctance to share more is apparent .
Mention his NGO The Foundation and he smiles, “This year I am going to be busy with new initiatives through my foundation. I will share it with you as soon as they kick off,” he signs off smiling.
