Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Chandan Roy Sanyal: “I learnt So Much About Cinema From Buddhadeb Dasgupta”

Nawazuddin  Siddiqui  feels  privileged  to have worked  with  Buddhadeb Daspupta in one  of his last films.

“When he  offered me Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa I accepted it  without a second thought.It  isn’t  every day that one  gets  a chance to work with a  director with  such a unique  vision. Buddhada was one  of the  filmmakers I  respected  the  most as  I studied  to be  an actor at the  NDS .His films  like Andhi Gali and  Tahader  Katha are classics of modern cinema,”  says  Nawaz.

 On receiving the offer to  play the titular  role  in Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa Nawaz says, “It was Buddhada  and it was in Hindi. He hardly made  films in Hindi.  I can only remember  Pavan Maholtra in Bagh Bahadur. I  quickly said yes. No money  was discussed.   There are some films that one does for just the satisfaction  of being an actor. Mithunda did  hardcore  mainstream Hindi cinema  and  still found time to do Buddhada’s  Tahader Katha and Kalpurush. Money ,one can  get elsewhere. But the satisfaction of  working with  a director like Buddhada is priceless.”

 Nawaz found Dasgupta’s style unique. “He did these long trolley shots  , really lengthy shots, where  he captured  characters  simultaneously in  long-shots  and close-ups. The  end-result  was  unique.I’ve never seen anything  like it.”

After  Anwar Ka Ajab  Kissa  was  complete,Nawaz met the  director when he  came to Mumbai to sell the  film. “Back then there were no buyers  for  a film like Anwar ka  Ajab Kissa. Thank God  for  the  OTT platform , people were  finally able to see this extraordinary film  last year.”

Adds  actor  Chandan Roy Sanyal, “Buddhada was very pivotal  in my life . I had the greatest honour of doing his last two films Tope  and Urojahaj  and was supposed to do his next too.

I grew up watching his films in a Bengali household in Delhi. He was  a filmmaker in league  with   the greatest in Bengal. I have no words to describe his loss and how his presence shaped me as an artist. I have the qualification every actor would love to have: a  Buddhadeb actor.”