Nine years after his film Shanghai (2012) released, Prosenjit Chatterjee has returned to Mumbai to shoot for his upcoming Hindi language project. The actor had recently kick-started the first schedule of his debut web series, titled Stardust, in the city. He says that the spike in Covid-19 cases and shoots getting stalled are surely matters of concern, but one has to push their fears back and keep working once they resume.

“The situation is tough not just for actors but technicians, too. Shooting during these times will be a major challenge. But this is an exercise that we need to learn and adapt to. There is a fear button within all of us, but we should know when to turn it off,” Chatterjee says.

Ask him about what kept him away from the Hindi entertainment industry for so long and the Bengali film star says, “It’s not like I consciously kept myself away. When Dibakar Banerjee (filmmaker) had approached me for Shanghai, my first question to him was why he wanted to cast me in his Hindi directorial. The same thing happened when Vikramaditya Motwane (filmmaker) approached me for my upcoming collaboration with him. I need to be convinced as to why a director wants to cast me in their Hindi films.”

On the occasion of the Bengali New Year, the 58-year-old says that had the situation been normal, he would have flown back to Kolkata (West Bengal) to spend the day with his family.

So, what is his wish for this new year? “It is going to be a year-and-a-half that we’re living with the pandemic. I pray to God that we overcome this and go back to our normal lives. The process of vaccination has started and I hope we all get vaccinated soon. I also wish for everyone’s good health,” he signs off.