- Jeet attended oath ceremonies of both Suvendu Adhikari and Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal
- Jeet believes politicisation hampers creativity and art should stay separate from politics
- Jeet was approached by political parties but does not see himself in politics
Bengali superstar Jeet, who generally avoids political meetings and gatherings, attended the oath-taking ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal's first Chief Minister from the BJP, on May 9.
Following his presence, the Internet was abuzz with speculation about his political inclinations. The actor then clarified that he had also attended Mamata Banerjee's oath-taking ceremony in 2011, when she became Chief Minister of West Bengal for the first time.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Jeet shared his thoughts on the rapid politicisation of the Bengali film industry in the last 15 years and his new film Keu Bole Biplobi Keu Bole Dakat.
'Creativity Takes Backseat When You Play Around With Power'
In the last 15 years, a large number of Bengali actors have joined active politics. They have contested elections and changed parties.
On the other hand, many actors alleged that they didn't get work for their political inclinations during the TMC (Trinamool Congress) regime.
Asked if this rapid politicisation helped the industry grow, Jeet tells NDTV, "It doesn't help. Art and politics are two different streams. They should be separated from each other. Whenever you are trying to tamper with power or play around with power, creativity takes a backseat. So, I think creative people should be more invested and engrossed in creative things, and let the politicians do what they understand best. Everyone can't do everyone's job."
"Films, without being politicised, should have a better place," the actor says.
"More than anything else, if Bengal witnesses growth in development, employment and industries as a whole, you will see the reflection on the film industry too," the superstar adds.
Did the political parties approach you — the TMC or the present BJP government?
"Yes, but I don't see myself in politics. So, I stay away," Jeet clarifies.
'Doing Prosthetics For 2–3 Hours Was Challenging'
Jeet's new film Keu Bole Biplobi Keu Bole Dakat (Some Say Revolutionary, Some Say Dacoit), directed by Pathikrit Basu, is inspired by the life of Ananta Singh, a freedom fighter and close associate of revolutionary Masterda Surya Sen.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s Kolkata, the film also touches upon the public perception of Ananta Singh being called a 'dacoit' for his daring robberies. Jeet plays the titular character and pulled off nine different looks for the film.
"I knew I had to do this film after learning about Ananta Singh. Within 30 minutes of listening to the script, I said yes to it. The toughest part of the shoot was the prosthetics. I had to keep my patience and wait for 2–3 hours after makeup. But I thoroughly enjoyed the process," Jeet tells NDTV.
As one of the producers of the film, the actor also had to ensure the historical accuracy of the period drama.
"I had too many questions. I kept on asking those questions throughout the shoot. We had four months before the film went on floors. It's not entirely based on history. We have fictionalised it a bit. But as a film's primary job is to entertain, we tried to keep the historical essence while focusing on the entertainment quotient," Jeet adds.
Keu Bole Biplobi Keu Bole Dakat is releasing on the eve of Independence Day. It will clash with Hindi films Sunny Deol's Batwara 1947 and Awarapan 2, starring Emraan Hashmi.
Asked if he has any apprehensions about the box office face-off, Jeet says, "It's okay. These days, thousands of films are being made across languages and multiple films release on the same day. As a producer and actor, we have to be mentally prepared for that."
Apart from Jeet, Keu Bole Biplobi Keu Bole Dakat also stars Priyanka Sarkar, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Rajatabha Dutta and Debopriyo Mukherjee.
