"Kahaani" actor Saswata Chatterjee feels the key to Bengali film's turnaround lies in doing literature-based films.
"The golden era of Bengali cinema was not only made possible by Uttam, Soumitra, Suchitra, Supriya although they were great actors. It was also because their films were based on works of writers like Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay, Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, and Sunil Gangopadhyay," the actor told PTI.
"The day Bengali cinema lost touch with literature and started aping the south, the middle class audience stopped going to the cinema halls and later the larger audience too stopped going," Saswata said.
The 45-year-old actor said he is happy that the current crop of filmmakers is turning towards powerful literature as it will produce better quality films.
"Now our film makers are again turning to powerful writers like Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Suchitra Bhattacharya besides Bengali classics to world literary figures like William Shakespeare. Whenever it is inspired by literature a film is elevated and the audience connects."
Saswata said he wants to be a feature filmmaker one day.
"I had directed some tele films years ago. But to do justice to a feature film, you need to give at least six month's time - pre-production, post-production and shooting schedule- which is impossible for me to squeeze in at this stage. But when you have the wish you will do it one day," he said.
The actor will be soon seen in upcoming detective film "Eagoler Chokh".
