'Bumba, Shot Ready' traces my three-decade journey: Prosenjit

For Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee, his just released autobiography, 'Bumba, Shot Ready', is a true representation of his silver screen life spanning over three decades.

Chatterjee, who was present at the launch here yesterday evening, said the book chronicled his journey from 1981 when he appreared in a side role in 'Pratisodh' acting alongside Bengali film industry stalwarts like Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chatterjee, Utpal Dutt and Mahua Roy Chowdhury to his latest release "Mayurakshi", again opposite Soumitra Chatterjee in end-2017.

"This book brings to the fore my pent-up feelings during the highs and lows in all these years, my experiences in professional field, my journey from a junior actor to a superstar.
 

Prosenjit has so far acted in over 350 films.

"Some of these experiences have come up in publications in fragments but many others remained unspoken. This book attempts to bring out the journey in its entirety, but many things still remain unsaid," Prosenjit said.

He said the book would project before the Bengali readers his transformation from "the Prosenjit at the age of 18, at the age of 28, at the age of 38 and likewise".

Each personality has been different from the previous one, the actor said.

Prosenjit said the book reflects how he re-invented himself every 10 years, from the hero of masala-mainstream films to more realistic ones made by acclaimed directors like Rituparno Ghosh, Goutam Ghosh and Atanu Ghosh in the past several years.

Prosenjit, fondly referred to as 'Bumba-da' in the Bengali film industry, said, "I recall once a dance director had told me 'Bumba-da, please take rest inside the make-up van. We will call you after readying the shot.' Ever since, I had thought what if an actor dies before giving the shoot inside the van...won't it be the best moment of his career?" he said.

The autobiography is narrated by Chatterjee and penned by a journalist.

Chatterjee picked Jaatishwar, Moner Manush, Mayurakshi, Dosar and Amar Sangi as his five most favourite characters.

The book has comments of Soumitra Chatterjee and Amitabh Bachchan, both of whom referred to his struggle and dedication and expressed their fondness for him.