Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee has said that actors need to love their work to improve their acting skills.
The legend said this during an interaction with Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee at the Press Club here yesterday.
"If any young actor approaches me for my suggestions to improve his/her acting skills, I will say, there is a word love," he said, adding, one should love acting and one should love people.
That is the secret behind the success of an actor, he said.
The 82-year-old actor, who was cast by Satyajit Ray in 'Apur Sansar' in 1959, said, "Frankly speaking, very few ask for my guidance or tips these days."
To a question by Prosenjit, Soumitra, who have acted in over 300 films, said he had nursed a sense of discontent in the past for not being able to do characters as he had wished.
"Then I felt, instead of being selfish, I should think from the point of view of the audience, whether my portrayals are liked by the audience or not.
And from my numerous experiences till date, I have seen they have liked me," Ray's 'Charulata' actor said.
The 'Dadasaheb Phalke Award' recipient said, he had always been a worshipper of variegated and not repetitive roles since 1959.
Speaking about Atanko, a film by Tapan Sinha in 1986, he said, "I had prepared a false denture and wore it for hours during shoots in order to make my character look more realistic."
He said he got inspiration from other forms of art and till date Tagore remains his companion.
Asked about his mentors, Soumitra said, initially he had been inspired by 'Natyacharya' Sisir Bhaduri, the pioneer of modern Bengali theatre, who paved his way to become an actor.
"Later on I was influenced by Satyajit Ray. He remains my inspiration till date," he said.
The actor-director of stage play 'Atmakatha' and countless other plays, said he regrets for not being able to portray Hamlet, Macbeth or Othello on stage.
Soumitra and Prosenjit would be appearing as father-son duo in the upcoming Bengali film, Mayurakshi.
Both were felicitated by the Press Club, Kolkata for their contributions to film and entertainment industry.
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