August 02, 2026 09:59 am (IST)
Tollywood veteran Dipankar De roots for money-spinning entertainers
Kolkata, July 5 (IBNS) Though he misses working in films made by late maestro Satyajit Ray and other stalwarts of yesteryear, veteran Tollywood actor Dipankar De, a favourite of critically acclaimed filmmakers like Goutam Ghosh, pitches for mass entertainers without which the film industry cannot sustain.
"I am equally at ease both in Goutam's films as well films by say Haranath Chakroborty [a hardcore commercial filmmaker]," the Sakha Prasakha actor tells IBNS at the promotional event of a new thriller, Sesh Anka.
Terming masala entertainers as commercial films, where he is often seen as villain, Dipankar De says: "Only art house realism can't sustain the audience and the industry. We need to back the different genres."
Dipankar, whose last two Satyajit Ray films were Agantuk and Sakha Prasakha, admits he sorely misses such films.
"Manikda (Ray) first gave me the break in Seemabddho. I still recall every moment. Yes, the narration, the scripting, everything was different from present day films. Babu (Sandip Ray) retains traces of that gharana," DE, having turned up in the last Feluda adventure Badshahi Angti nd Sanndip's debut feature Uttaran (Ascent) says.
ComIng to Sesh Anka, produced by Pradip Churiwal, he says "I play a heavyweight criminal lawyer who unravels a muder mystery."
Dipankar continues, "Decades back I had turned in a courtroom drama in a black and white film. So this is the second such role for me wheels turn the circle.."
Terming the film by debutante director Tathagata Banerjee as very English in look and treatment, Dipankar says: "The sleekness appealed to me. The script and enticing locations all made it look very global. Plus the character was out off the box."
"After being in the industry for 45 years all I can say is the audience and the films both have undergone rapid changes. Some of which is for good and yet some not so."
Director Tathagata says,"There was a court-drama themed film similarly named Sesh Anka in about fifty years back. However, the similarities end here."
..
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Ujaan Ganguly makes directorial debut with Katukutu Buro; Jaya Ahsan, Jisshu Sengupta, Kaushik Ganguly attend star-studded premiere
Tue, Jul 28 2026
Reality or fantasy? Katukutu Buro trailer teases a chilling mystery ahead of July 24 release
Mon, Jul 20 2026
'Arjun Chakraborty was my trump card': Filmmaker Nandita Roy as Phool Pishi O Edward celebrates 50-day box office run
Mon, Jul 20 2026
Bengali actor Aryuun wins double honours at Berlin's Indo-German Film Week for Adamya
Sat, Jul 18 2026
'Keu Bole Biplobi Keu Bole Dakat' unveils powerful first song celebrating freedom and sacrifice
Fri, Jul 17 2026
Stage enters Bengali OTT with psychological thriller Dahan set in a haunted North Kolkata mansion
Thu, Jul 16 2026
Proud moment for Bengali cinema! Rango Bibaaho bags Best Film honour at Berlin's Indo-German Film Week
Thu, Jul 16 2026
They made a film in secret on Sundays—Now it's selling out theatres
Tue, Jul 14 2026
Bengali film Pratyabartan completes 60 days in theatres
Sat, Jul 11 2026
