Read all comments on social media: Gaurav Chakraborty

For actor Gaurav Chakraborty, ‘Parineeta’ holds a special place. In 2019, he was part of director Raj Chakraborty’s revenge drama ‘Parineeta’ and now, this Independence Day, he will star in Hoichoi’s adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1914 Bengali novella ‘Parineeta’, where he plays the iconic character Shekhar. Although Gaurav had seen Pradeep Sarkar’s 2005 Bollywood version and Ajoy Kar’s 1969 Bengali film, he decided not to rewatch them for this role. Instead, he read the original novella several times. “Our adaptation is true to the original story, so I focused on the text and script to bring Shekhar to life in my own way, with guidance from director Aditi Roy,” he said.

Gaurav takes both criticism and praise seriously, as long as they make sense. He reads every comment on his trailers, teasers, posters and even his personal photos on social media. While he doesn’t reply to the comments, he welcomes constructive suggestions. He’s also okay with being compared to other actors, as long as the comparison is ‘logical’. For example, in ‘Parineeta’, some people asked about a character named Girish. “There’s no Girish in Sarat Chandra’s ‘Parineeta’. Girish was a character played by Sanjay Dutt in Sarkar’s version. We followed the original text, so we have Girin. But I read all the comments on social media,” he clarified with a laugh.

When asked how he liked Saif Ali Khan’s portrayal of Shekhar in ‘Parineeta’, Gaurav said, “It was a well-made film and everyone acted well. But I felt it wasn’t Sarat Chandra’s ‘Parineeta’ - it was a different interpretation. And that’s fine because the visual medium allows for creativity. Pradeep Sarkar made ‘Parineeta’ for an international audience, many of whom didn’t know the original story. Thanks to him, the story reached a wider audience,” said the ‘Abar Proloy’ actor.

This isn’t the first time Gaurav is acting in a film adapted from Bengali literature. He has previously starred in ‘Chhayamoy’, ‘Eagoler Chokh’, ‘Double Feluda’, ‘Cholo Potol Tuli’ and ‘Tenida and Company’. Gaurav has always been fond of Bengali literature. Up next, he’s set to appear in ‘Saralakhha Holmes’, ‘Sonar Kellay Jawkher Dhan’ and ‘Ekti Khunir Sandhane Mitin’, which is also based on the work of Suchitra Bhattacharya.