‘To Harihar Nagar’ re-scripted the career of Bengali theatre artist Sudipto Balav who plays the villain in the film.
"Adavukal pathinettum payattiya kaalam
Thomasuttiye patharathe vittoda..."
So went the ring tone of his mobile.
Not long ago, Malayalam was an alien language to him. But these days, he talks only about Kerala, Malayalam cinema and the cuisine of the state and that too, in Malayalam!
When he enjoyed films such as ‘Vanaprastham’, ‘Boeing Boeing’, ‘Manichitrathazhu’, ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’ and ‘Kazhcha’, hardly did he know that he would be learning Malayalam and acting in a blockbuster Malayalam movie one day.
The journey to ‘To Harihar Nagar’ was the beginning of a new life for Sudipto Balav, the impressive villain character in the film. The film re-scripted the career of the Bengali theatre artist. “This is my first South Indian film. And my first negative role too. I have done only comedy roles so far.”
Sudipto started his career in Bengali theatre. Later, he moved on to Bengali serials and films. It was while hosting a talk show at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, that he gained
exposure to filmmaking. Hoping for a growth in his career, he shifted base to Mumbai in 2002.
Some Hindi serials (including ‘Devi’, ‘Kya Hadsa Kya Haqeeqat’, ‘Kusum’ and ‘Sanjeevani’) and two films happened soon after. In the Big B–Hema Malini
starrer ‘Baghban’, Sudipto played Paresh Rawal’s adopted son. He played a prominent role in the Sunny Deol-starrer ‘Rok Sako To Rok Lo’.
Tired of the monotony of the work being offered, Sudipto decided to take a break from television in 2007. That was when MTV opened its doors to him. With the inimitable Cyrus Broacha, he did ‘MTV Bakra’. “The show polished my comic timing.”
He did a Bengali film, ‘Vidhatar Lekha’, produced by Rani Mukherji and directed by her
brother Raja, and films such as ‘Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye’, ‘Tu Nahin Tho Koi Aur’, ‘Man Who Shot To Fame’ and ‘Dhuaan’ which was premiered at the Goa International Film Festival.
“It was Lakshmi Gopalaswamy (who was part of ‘Dhuaan’) who advised me to try my luck down south. We discussed about Malayalam films and the work culture.” Soon he deployed a secretary in Chennai and ‘To Harihar Nagar’ came his way.
“I think I have a karmic connection with Kerala. I’ve been to many parts of the state. Once we drove from Mumbai to Munnar to see the neelakurinji. Look at the way Malayalam cinema has changed my career now! Kerala shares a lot with Bengal communism, football, fish and great cinema,” he says.
Actor Anoop Chandran dubbed for Sudipto in his debut Malayalam film. “But I can say all my lines now. I asked for the Malayalam script and my Malayali friends in Mumbai helped me write it in English.”
He holds the film’s director Lal in high esteem. “I salute his foresight. He was under tremendous pressure. Even then he decided to get a non-Malayali like me to play Freddy Honai. He knew well that it was my first negative role. The first advice he gave me was not to see the first part of the movie.”
The 28 days he spent for the shoot in Kochi was a lovely holiday for Sudipto. “You remember my girl friend cum pet Lucy in the film? I was told that it would be an udumbu (monitor
lizard). I had not seen one before and went around asking everybody what it was. But all they said was, ‘Ask Lalettan’. When we went to a hotel one day, a crew member asked whether I would like to eat udumbu meat. I was excited. But when they showed me a live one, I was shocked and ran for my life! I pleaded with Lal to change my pet to
something else.
He said, ‘At the most it will bite you. Don’t worry, we will vaccinate you!’” Sudipto is all praise for his co-actors. “I have an extended family in Kerala. Most of them have
taken me to their homes. Lal’s son is very close to me. I can never forget Mukesh Sir and his stories and jokes. When I said my lines in front of the camera, he would wink at me and say, ‘Remember the story I told you’ and I would burst out laughing. He made me feel as if I was in college.”
Sudipto says he drove the production boys crazy with his exploration of the hotels in Kochi.
“Every third day I would be out hunting for good food. On other days, somebody would invite me to their home.” A huge fan of karimeen, nowadays Sudipto craves karimeen pollichathu, paratha and chilli beef. The actor is waiting to come down to Kerala and join the celebration of the success of the movie. “I was in Kochi at the first show on the first day. Later I watched it in Mumbai and Pune. The response was awesome. And people recognized me!”
Offers are pouring in for this 30-year-old who stays in Mumbai with wife Mukta and daughter Titaash. “My English film ‘Meridien’ will be released soon. I will be starting a Tamil film shortly. Discussions are on for some Malayalam films too.”
Negative roles again? “Yes. ‘To Harihar Nagar’ has set a benchmark for me. I will try to do my best in every film that comes my way.”