Parambrata Chatterjee recently set up a COVID relief centre with colleagues Riddhi Sen, Anupam Roy and others. The Bengali actor, who has also done Hindi films like Kahaani and Pari, among others, talks about the impact of the Coronavirus second wave on the film industry, working with youngsters for his pandemic relief work and more. Excerpts:

Our parents witnessed the infamous flood in 1978, grandparents witnessed the Partition. Our generation was in a safe zone until now. And suddenly, we were staring at an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The impossible desperation of people gasping for oxygen haunted me. Soon, as the second wave first started in the other states, we knew what could unfold in West Bengal, especially given the political gatherings. As the cries for help intensified on social media, I reached out to like-minded friends. We realised that unlike the first wave, where we could afford to do things from a distance, this time we had to be on the ground. Our primary intention was to offer some respite to the private and government medical facilities by running a small but systematic relief centre so that we could maximise our resources. It was not a small task, but thanks to my comrades, we made this happen.

We are planning to start two more centres, one of them near the existing centre so that we can operate it as one unit.

There has been a general perception that youngsters under the age of 25, the so-called ‘selfie generation’ are a detached and disconnected lot. While it may be true to some extent, they have also been misunderstood. I found them to be more sensitive, passionate and committed than us. Their integrity and readiness to reject regressive ideas is inspiring. The more I engage with them, the more proud I feel. It is wrong to judge them – they are aware, active and are working tirelessly on the ground.

Even films like Sooryavanshi are stalled. Salman Khan released his film on the OTT platform. Bollywood’s only advantage is that they get reasonably fair prices from the major OTT platforms. We (Bengali cinema industry) don’t have that luxury. Without a bit of theatrical release, we cannot recover the cost. So we will have to wait. After this second wave, I doubt if the audience will immediately be confident about going back to theatres even if they reopen in a month or so. Things will take time – maybe in another five to six months, things will be better. We have seen difficult times. There was a 100-day-long strike in ’70s. We will survive this also.

Some say politics and friendship needn’t mix. But my definition of friendship is different. While there will be no lacunae in my professionalism, I cannot be friends with someone who stands diametrically opposite to my political beliefs.