Tota Roy Choudhury is surprisingly zen for a man who suddenly finds himself in the spotlight after three decades of being in the shadows. While flamboyance has never been his style, even when he played a villain, a cop or a detective, the actor surprised everyone with his turn as a Bengali Kathak dancer in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. “It’s an out-of-body experience,” says Tota of being inundated with calls, messages lauding his performance and offers that have been coming in since then.“I’m not used to such adulation,” says the actor, who still regrets giving up his army aspirations for a career in films. Excerpts from the conversation.

Tota is one of the many Bengali actors who have done well in the OTT space. Analyzing the trend he says: “In Kolkata, a two-hour film takes 20 days to complete. In Mumbai it takes 60 days. So we do the same amount of work here in one third the time and efficiently. Also, there is a paucity of fresh faces in their 40s in Mumbai,” he says.

“You’ll rarely see young Kolkata actors being cast. They look for seasoned actors who can stand up to their hugely talented stars. So even though there’s a talent pool in Mumbai, they look for new but experienced people.”

He continued, “Mumbai is buzzing with incredibly talented young actors, technicians from all over the country right now. They come from cities and towns where there is no film-making system and they are all gifted and hungry for work. The passion and energy they bring to the set is infectious.”

Tota thinks the industry has become far more inclusive with the casting. “Take the example of Vijay Sethupathi in Farzi. He put in so much colour and so much texture in the role that I don’t think anyone else could have done it better. Similarly Karan sir told me: ‘just be yourself. Because that is the person I cast. If I require something I will let you know.’ That boosted my morale and encouraged me. I didn’t even have to dub for the film, because that’s the tone and texture he wanted,” he says.

With seemingly more opportunities in Bollywood, is there also a danger of getting boxed in? “Being typecast is not such a bad word really,” reasons Tota. “Given the number of actors that there are in any industry, at any given point, people really don’t have time to experiment with actors anymore. They just want somebody know who can pull it off. The onus is on us actors to change our ‘type’ after every few years. For example, if I had said yes to all the roles I got after The Girl On the Train and Ajeeb Daastaans, I would have covered the market for abusive husbands! I will not do everything and burn up my opportunities, the way I did early on in my career.”

Having worked with some of the biggest filmmakers and production houses in Mumbai, Tota is keen to bring back what he’s learned. “The utmost seriousness with which they work there is remarkable. Movie-making is a religion in Mumbai. I would like to bring that kind of passion to Tollywood. We are a little laid back here, which has its uses. But time is passing by and we have to get up and get moving,” he says.

Tota is a believer in “checks and balances” while choosing a script. “I always look for the importance of my character in the scheme of things. If it is not significant, or doesn’t have adequate screen time, I don’t do it,” he says. A character with five scenes can rarely make an impact, if not backed by solid writing, he argues. “But I will make an exception for exceptionally great directors that I want to work with, like Karan Johar sir. Even if it is for a smaller role,” he says. “This is a director’s medium and I always choose a great director over a bigger banner or fantastic co-stars. I am also not very okay with the level of intimacy that’s being projected these days.”

Over three decades, his career has done a pivot every ten years, says Tota. “I started doing movies for a lark, Duranto Prem. It clicked. Offers started coming in. For a decade I did roles that did justice to my agility, fitness and did reasonably well. With Chokher Bali and Shubho Mahurat, I reached out to a global but niche audience. Ritu da (Rituparno Ghosh) convinced me I could act as well – when many of my intellectual seniors had convinced me I was not good enough. But Ritu da’s remark helped me take myself seriously as an actor. And while I was content with my work all this while, Rocky Aur Rani changed everything for me, again.

Tota is amused with all the attention he’s been receiving here. “People here have woken up to me now that the validation has come from the rest of the world. I was this good earlier. I’m grateful to have an opportunity to show my acting range. There are so many actors out there. They are much better than me, they are trained and have everything that is required. So every time I face the camera, it’s not just for myself, but all those guys who are waiting for a chance,” he concludes.

'The Bangla film industry and the audience gave shape to this nobody. What the rest of the country is getting is a product in its advanced stages'

'I was never right up there, never the champ. But I was never somebody who gave up. I have earned people’s respect not by achieving great things, but by being consistent'

'I have built an audience space over the years and they expect certain things from me. They have been part of my journey and I keep all this in mind when saying yes to a role'

'I am not used to such adulation. Offers are coming from directors and productions I respect. It’s God’s way of saying that you spent nearly three decades with your nose to the grind, so this is my gift to you'