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Abir Chatterjee is thrilled as Deep Fridge, starring him and Tnusree C and directed by Arjun Dutta, won Best Bengali Film at the 71st National Film Awards.
Abir Chatterjee On National Award Win For Deep Fridge.
Bengali superstar Abir Chatterjee is elated as Arjun Dutta’s Deep Fridge which stars him and actress Tnusree C, has won the Best Bengali Film at the 71st National Film Awards, which were announced today. Speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, the actor shared his excitement and looked back at how he almost didn’t end up doing the film.
“I had initially said no to the film,” Abir revealed. “There were some date issues and things weren’t aligning. But Arjun [Dutta] was persistent — he kept at it, and I eventually gave in. I am glad I did. We shot the film in 2023.”
The actor also said that it was an intense project to take on, especially because the film is largely hinged on just two characters. “That automatically means the load is a lot more on the actors to hold the audience’s attention and carry the film emotionally,” he said. He added that this made the process more demanding but also creatively rewarding. “I’m genuinely happy that the film has struck a chord with the critics. It means a lot when such stories get recognised at the national level.”
Opening up about how creatively involved he was throughout the shoot, Abir said, “It became a very collaborative process. I would return from the shoot and discuss the next day’s scenes with Arjun. I even gave my inputs — it was creatively very fulfilling. I hope he gets the recognition he deserves.”
However, Deep Fridge, despite the national recognition, has not yet released. Speaking about this, Abir admitted, “It’s unfortunate, but there are multiple factors. Those backing the film weren’t sure if the Bengali audience was ready for a film like this. But hopefully, that will change now. When a film wins such a prestigious award, it definitely piques audience interest.”
This isn’t the first time Abir Chatterjee’s film has won at the National Film Awards. In the 2017 film Bishorjon, directed by Kaushik Ganguly, a moving cross-border love story, Abir played Naseer, an Indian Muslim man stranded on the Bangladeshi side of the Ichhamati River, who was cared for by a Hindu widowed woman, played by Jaya Ahsan. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali at the 64th National Film Awards in 2017.
Looking ahead, Abir, well-known for playing iconic detective characters like Byomkesh Bakshi and Feluda, will be seen in Raktabeej 2, directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee of Praktan and Belashuru fame. His next, Suman Mukhopadhyay’s The Puppet’s Tale (Putulnacher Itikatha), premiered in International Film Festival Rotterdam‘s Big Screen Competition in February.
Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring…Read More
Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring… Read More
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