AN EVENING WITH ‘BHOJOHORI MANNA’ MAN

Many actors have gone unnoticed who have made up to the hearts of the Bengali viewers, who worked under Satyajit Ray. However, there are a few exceptions. Siddhartha Chatterjee @ Topshe, the most lovable character of Satyajit Ray’s Feluda series. He is on and strong very much in the minds of the Bengalis not only because of the every young character he played but because of other reasons like Bhojohori Manna and obviously Share Market expert. TNI Representative Smt. Swarnali Goswami comes with an interview with this personality, who has a traditional yet so modern approach to the Bengali culture.

TNI:  How does it feel when you rewind back to the past even into your childhood?

SC: It becomes nostalgic when there is the question of the legend Satyajit Ray, Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath etc. I think Satyajit Ray’s Sonar Kella depicted a children’s travelogue film with a Detective orientation. People will still watch the movie for the next 100 years too. One never gets bored by it and it appeals to every age group. Sonar Kella is a masterpiece and I am also a part of it and so I feel very nostalgic. To me creating a film that is remembered for 100 years is more important than going unnoticed after creating 100 films. I have not done any film after that but people still remember me. I feel honoured being ‘Topse’ who is good and efficient too. I don’t know what’s in stored for the future. In fact I didn’t try to act in the film I was just playing what I was in the character given to me and that’s what was instructed to me. I need to appreciate ‘Feluda’s’ character. I just played natural me in those films. Even now when I watch Sonar Kella after 40-41 years, I go to my childhood. It’s just a great feeling.

TNI: Old but the most probable question to you. Why was full time acting a No No for you?

SC: When I grew up and attained the age to be into acting I got professionally qualified as a Chartered Accountant and also completed Company Secretaryship then I got a job. You will realize that in those days we didn’t have so many television channels like today. The world was very limited during that time. Bengal never used to produce so many films like today. There was the legend Uttam Kumar, there was (still there is) Soumitra Kaku (Soumitra Chatterjee). Today it has become easier to be into the television or films which wasn’t before. In the last 3-4 years I have done some smaller roles in 6 films (I cannot afford longer roles). I worked with Anjan Dutta, Sandip Ray, Mainak Bhowmik. This year too I am into two films. However, I must say working with Satyajit Ray was something different. I am not comparing Ray with other directors but it’s Ray all over. He was just a genius. I feel that being into acting in a full time basis was not there for me. I would have done injustice to both the aspect of myself. For me I have taken the right decision. It is bit very tough in the acting platform every time. Look, I have done 4 or 5 films but people have forgotten those and they come to ‘Topse’ from the Feluda series again and again.

TNI: Now the most happening thing. Bhojohori Manna and MachliBaba, how did those happen in your life?

SC: Running a business was always a passion for me thus Bhojohori Manna is just the outcome of it. However, the Bengali themed food joint concept was a hit when we call “Bhojohori Manna” with Bengali foods. So it was going strong and fine with ‘Bhojohori Manna’. I realized that the maximum consumption and orders are fish. On the other hand, today’s Bengali fish eating people face two problems especially in the metropolis and other cities i.e. firstly, the micro families need a very little quantity of fish for their consumption so they won’t go and buy a huge quantity of them in the first go. Secondly, various tastes of various family members cannot be served by traditional fish market buying. Since we at Bhojohori Manna understand fish based on our daily experience. So I thought to make a special fish retail targeting these kinds of customers where the fish will be available for convenience. We kept the name in accordance to ‘Machlibaba’, the famous character of the film ‘Joi Baba Felunath’ of Satyajit Ray. Even the non-Bengali customers can spell out and relate with this brand name. From the time of its launch till date it’s just a super hit. I am very much thankful to God. We also have plans of sweet water fish exports and have tied up with the Department of Fisheries, GOWB in this regard for getting supplies from them too. In ‘MachliBaba’ we are providing fresh fish that’s the masterpiece and not frozen fish. We have to be very much honest at our work.

TNI: Lastly, some light on your foray into share market and about your involvement in it.

SC: See, the basic objective of a Chartered Accountant is investments, stock market etc. I advise people how one can invest money in shares with proper logic. More than a decade ago there was the only phone through which the communication was done. In that juncture, I came up with the tabloid. I think I am only a successful newspaper editor who runs an investment tabloid for the last 12 years without a break and that too without any advertisement but still earned profits. Now it has come up with its e-paper version too. However, those are available with a subscription. I am also writing for newspapers. So, as a whole, I am into the full-time stock market. Apart from that, I have written 14 books in the stock market in Bengali. I don’t think this has been tried earlier. My company ‘Trustline’ is also into teaching stock market even for the rural people through videos and classroom technique. I believe in educating people in the local languages about the stock. Now the Governments are also coming up with such ideas. On the other side I appear into ET Now, CNBC and obviously those are in English but in the ground, it should be vernacular that’s the mass language of most people in India. Overall I can say Bhojohori Manna and MachchliBaba is my passion but Stock Market is my profession.

Graphics: TNI Creatives
Edited By: R. Subrata (TNI Siliguri)
Photos: Swarnali Goswami (TNI)