From Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Shyam Benegal to Roman Polanski, James Ivory and Sir David Lean, the charismatic and internationally acclaimed actor Victor Banerjee has worked with many stalwarts in the industry. Recipient of the national award for best supporting actor in Ghare Baire (The Home and The World), a Ray masterpiece, in 1984, Victor Banerjee has acted in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese films.
Born in a Bengali Hindu family of zamindars and descendant of The Raja Bahadur of Chanchal and the Raja of Uttarpara, Victor’s performance as Dr Aziz Ahmed in David Lean’s film A Passage to India brought him to the attention of Western audiences and he was nominated for BAFTA. The list of awards doesn’t just stop here. He won two other awards – the Evening Standard British Film Award and NBR Award (National Board Review, USA). In April 1985, at a special event in Louisiana, where John Travolta and Loretta Swit were also honoured, Banerjee was given the SHOWARAMA AWARD by the Motion Pictures Association of America as a “New International Star”.
He is the only Indian actor who has won the National Award in three separate categories. As a cinematographer for his documentary Where No Journeys End he won the Gold Award at the Houston International Film Festival and an award for directing one of the best extant documentaries on tourism titled The Splendour of Garhwal and Roopkund.
The actor graced the 50th anniversary of the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants hosted at Mayfair hotel in Bhubaneswar recently. In a candid interview with Shambhudeep the actor draws parallels and distinctions between yesterday’s and today’s cinema. Excerpts:
Q Awards and recognition at different forums. Surely you have nothing to complain in life?
I am probably the luckiest person on the planet. Lucky from all sides especially in terms of family, wife and daughter. Life couldn’t give more than this. But life has been totally unfair to me and totally unjust. Why? Because people who, undoubtedly, deserved better than me turned down offers which were later offered to me and the rest, as they say, is history.
Q How does it feel to be the only Indian actor on the big screen to have won the national award in three separate
categories?
That is exactly why I said that life has been totally unjust and unfair to me. In many cases there were people who were far more talented and deserving than me, but God knows how I got those awards. That’s the reason I don’t go to award shows and functions. I did not go to collect the national award for four years until the director of the film one day called me and said that actually Mr Ray downplayed me for the supporting actor category and favoured Soumitra Chatterjee. Only after that I received the award.
Q If you are asked to choose between Hollywood actors Marlon Brando,
Al-Pacino and Sir Anthony Hopkins who do you choose?
Of course Brando. In fact all the three you named are great in their own genre and might. Hopkins definitely is a great actor.
Q Movies like Chokher Baali which portray deep human urges as well as many other kinds of movies made lately like Gandu, Chatrak and Cosmic Sex with X-rated scenes have been in the news. How do you perceive this trend in cinema?
In order to prove that you are liberal you don’t need to be explicit. Public display of eroticism has to be done with dignity. You should watch the movie “Coming Home” starring John Voight and Jane Fonda. Oh! What dignified display of eroticism. These so-called directors of today will never be able to reach that level.
This is for the “Ghare Baire” and “Mahaprithivi” actor.
Q What is missing in today’s filmmakers compared to the stalwarts you have worked with? We have the habit of picking up one person and glorifying him. Take for example Bimal Ray. His way of storytelling was better than even Satyajit Ray. But among the new lot I like Koushik Ganguly.
Q Major regional commercial movies are copy of South Indian films. Do you think that our filmmakers are running out of original ideas?
Yes, certainly. Directors directing movies in a language give a damn to ethos
and culture of peoples. What better can you expect?
