Saswata Chatterjee – Bob Biswas Interview

Bob Biswas character in Kahaani is popular with a capital ‘P’ and the man who played it to perefection, Saswata Chatterjee, a popular Bengali actor, hithero unknown to Bollywood is all smiles and overwhelmed with the astounding reception to his character. He has become quite a trend on Facebook, Twitter.


The innocent looking Bangali Babu with receding hairline, big paunch and big black spectacles has caught the nation by storm. You can check out Bob Biswas Fan Page to find out how he has become the most addictive ‘movie character’ in recent times. It is believed that a graphic novel based on the hitman is also being planned.

Saswata Chatterjee was always lauded for his performances be it the Topshe in Feluda, the greedy Bhai-Da in Bong Connection, the psychiatrist in disguise Anupam Ghatak in Rang Milanti to the doctor who chucked up his profession to start a travel agency in Chalo Let’s Go. The 42 year old actor says that he was hardly expecting his character to become so viral in India. Saswata Chatterjee says, “I gave my best, like I do for all movies. Definitely wasn’t expecting Bob to be such a huge hit.”

Saswata Chatterjee says that he is anything but Bob in real life. He says, “Although Bob’s life is completely about cellphones, I don’t even own one. I have never owned one. They are such distraction.” Then how did he show himself so brilliantly as the cell phone addict ? “Acting is my job. That has to be learnt”, he says.
Saswata Chatterjee says that he did whatever was possible to suit the requirement of the character. “Bob Biswas is unfit, has a big bhuri (paunch), I definitely did not have to work on that!,” he smiles.

“The character is extremely worried about his receding hairline and would keep rubbing his finger nails against each other; Sujoy said that apparently helps in growing hair. So, I kept practicing that for quite sometime.”
Saswata calls himself a director’s actor and says that he did whatever Sujoy Ghosh wanted. “The response has been overwhelming,” he says. The proflic actor admits that Usha Uthup gave him the biggest compliment. “The day Kaahani released, Usha di called from Cochin and said, Darling, I never knew you could be so mean.”

Saswata adds he never wanted to be an actor in the first place. It was destiny that brought him here. However, all that he wants to achieve is “Make people cry, laugh and think along with the character”.

He says that his wife Mahua was also terrified while watching the film in the theater. “When Bob killed a character in the movie, Mahua was so scared she jumped on her seat and held my hand tight. So I quietly whispered to her, ‘Bob is sitting right beside you’. It was a great thrill.”