Saswata Chatterjee
Saswata Chatterjee (born 19 December 1970) is an Indian actor known for his work in Bengali cinema and television, with appearances in Hindi films. The son of actor Subhendu Chatterjee, he began his career with a Hindi television series directed by Saibal Mitra, based on Samaresh Majumdar's Kaalpurush. He gained recognition for portraying in detective series such as Byomkesh Bakshi and in a Feluda-based television series directed by Sandip Ray. Chatterjee has received critical acclaim for his performances in several Bengali films, notably for his role in Meghe Dhaka Tara (2013), where he played a character inspired by Ritwik Ghatak. He achieved widespread recognition for his role as Bob Biswas, a contract killer, in Sujoy Ghosh's Hindi thriller Kahaani (2012). He gained further success by playing as antagonists and leading supporting characters in other bollywood and a Telugu movies, such as Jagga Jasoos (2017), Dhaakad (2022) and Kalki 2898 AD (2024), for all of which he received both recognition and criticism.
Saswata Chatterjee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 19 December 1970[1] Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Other names | Apu[2] |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse | Mohua Chatterjee |
| Children | Hiya Chatterjee |
| Father | Subhendu Chatterjee |
Saswata Chatterjee (born 19 December 1970) is an Indian actor known for his work in Bengali cinema and television, with appearances in Hindi films. The son of actor Subhendu Chatterjee, he began his career with a Hindi television series directed by Saibal Mitra, based on Samaresh Majumdar's Kaalpurush. He gained recognition for portraying in detective series such as Byomkesh Bakshi and in a Feluda-based television series directed by Sandip Ray.
Chatterjee has received critical acclaim for his performances in several Bengali films, notably for his role in Meghe Dhaka Tara (2013), where he played a character inspired by Ritwik Ghatak. He achieved widespread recognition for his role as Bob Biswas, a contract killer, in Sujoy Ghosh's Hindi thriller Kahaani (2012). He gained further success by playing as antagonists and leading supporting characters in other bollywood and a Telugu movies, such as Jagga Jasoos (2017), Dhaakad (2022) and Kalki 2898 AD (2024), for all of which he received both recognition and criticism.
Personal life
[edit]Saswata Chatterjee was born on 19 December 1970 to Subhendu Chatterjee, a noted Bengali actor.[3] He lives in Kolkata and is married to Mohua Chatterjee, a teacher. They have a daughter together, Hiya Chatterjee.[2] She is making her film debut with Rahool Mukherjee's Mon Maaney Na alongside Ritwik Bhowmik, who is also making his Bengali film debut with this film.
Career
[edit]Chatterjee started his career with a Hindi serial directed by Saibal Mitra, based on Samaresh Majumdar's Kaalpurush.[4] and a Hindi serial Krishnakant Ka Vasiyatnama on Doordarshan based on Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's novel Krishnakanter Will. Later, he acted in a television series directed by Sandip Ray, where he portrayed the character of Topshe, a sidekick of Feluda, the sleuth. After this television debut, his acting skills were appreciated and he gained popularity.[5]
Chatterjee's acting in several Bengali films were critically appreciated. Some of his notable appearances include Tiyasha, C/O Sir, Proloy (2013), Jekhane Bhuter Bhoy, Meghe Dhaka Tara, Bhooter Bhabishyat, Abar Bomkesh (Chitrachor), Rang Milanti, Byomkesh Bakshi (Adim Ripu), The Bong Connection, Abar Aranye. He worked in the blockbuster Hindi film, Kahaani (2012) directed by Sujoy Ghosh starring Vidya Balan. In that film, he played the role of a cold-blooded killer named Bob Biswas.[6] His role as Bob became so popular that Chatterjee describes it as:
Bob Biswas has most definitely exceeded the popularity of Kahaani. Poor Saswata has lost his identity. He is addressed as Bob wherever he goes.
— Saswata Chaterjee on his role on Bob Biswas.[2]
The character went viral on Facebook and Twitter with thousands of followers. A graphic novel is in the making was also inspired from Bob's character.[7]
Meghe Dhaka Tara was released in 2013, a film inspired by the life and works of Bengali film director Ritwik Ghatak and also depicts the socio-political environment of contemporary West Bengal during the Tebhaga and Naxalite movements. In this movie, he played the lead character as Nilkantha Bagchi.
Filmography
[edit]| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Baksho Rahashya | Topshe | Bengali | |
| 1997 | Nayantara | Bengali | ||
| 1998 | Atmaja | Bengali | ||
| 1999 | Tumi Ele Tai | Bengali | ||
| Khelaghar | Bengali | |||
| 2000 | Shesh Thikana | Bengali | ||
| 2002 | Aamar Bhuvan | Nur | Bengali | |
| 2003 | Abar Aranye | Saswata Banerjee | Bengali | |
| 2004 | Tin Ekke Tin | Tinkori | Bengali | |
| Aabar Asibo Phire | Bengali | |||
| 2006 | Teen Yaari Katha | Anil | Bengali | |
| Dosar | Kaushik's younger brother | Bengali | ||
| 2007 | Shudhu Tomar Jonyo | Bengali | ||
| The Bong Connection | Bhai-Da | English | ||
| 2008 | Chalo Let's Go | Asim | Bengali | |
| 2009 | Cross Connection | Swapnil Basu | Bengali | |
| Madly Bangalee | Bengali | |||
| Brake Fail | Bengali | |||
| 2010 | Byomkesh Bakshi (Adim Ripu) | Ajit Bandyopadhyay | Bengali | |
| Gaaner Oparey | Bengali | |||
| 2011 | Get2Gether | Bengali | ||
| Uro Chithi | Manish | Bengali | ||
| Gosainbaganer Bhoot | Bhelu Daktar | Bengali | ||
| Rang Milanti | Deepjoy Mitra/Anupam Ghatak | Bengali | ||
| The Forlorn (Short Film) | Dr. Sambit Chaterjee | Bengali | ||
| 2012 | Goraay Gondogol | Bengali | ||
| Sangsar Sukher Hoi Homonir Gune | Bidesh | Bengali | ||
| Bhalobasha Off Route-e | Bengali | |||
| Nobel Chor | Hari | Bengali | ||
| Kahaani | Bob Biswas | Hindi | Debut in Hindi cinema | |
| Abar Byomkesh (Chitrachor) | Ajit Bandyopadhyay | Bengali | ||
| Bhooter Bhabishyat | Hathkata Kartik | Bengali | ||
| Balukabela.com | Advocate Subimal DattaGupta | Bengali | ||
| Jekhane Bhuter Bhoy | Pratap Sarkar | Bengali | ||
| 2013 | Aborto | Bengali | ||
| Meghe Dhaka Tara | Nilkantha Bagchi | Bengali | ||
| Damadol | Papu Bhai | Bengali | ||
| Namte Namte | Rana Basu | Bengali | ||
| Aschorjo Prodip | Anilabha Gupto / Anilda | Bengali | ||
| Goynar Baksho | Chandan | Bengali | ||
| Proloy | Animesh Dutta | Bengali | ||
| C/O Sir | Jayabrata Ray | Bengali | ||
| Tiyasha | Sudipto | Bengali | ||
| 2014 | Bonku Babu | Bonku Babu | Bengali | |
| Baari Tar Bangla | Roopchand Sen | Bengali | ||
| Byomkesh Phire Elo (Beni Sanghar) | Ajit Bandyopadhyay | Bengali | ||
| Chaar | Sanjib Chatterjee & Mriganka Shekhar Mukherjee | Bengali | ||
| 2015 | Ebar Shabor | Shabor Dasgupta | Bengali | |
| Natoker Moto - Like a Play | Prasad | Bengali | ||
| 89 | The Serial Killer | Bengali | ||
| Icchemotir Golpo | Nil | Bengali | ||
| Katmundu | Aiyoswami | Bengali | ||
| Rajkahini | Mr. Prafulla Sen | Bengali | ||
| Byomkesh Bakshi | Ajit Bandyopadhyay | Bengali | ||
| Monchuri | Kartik | Bengali | ||
| 2016 | Praktan | Special Appearance | Bengali | |
| Hemanta | Kalyan Sen | Bengali | ||
| Eagoler Chokh | Shabor Dasgupta | Bengali | ||
| Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana | Ajit Bandyopadhyay | Bengali | ||
| Monchora | Manmatho / Raima's Brother | Bengali | ||
| Cholai | Various | Bengali | ||
| Bastav | Kamal Rakshit | Bengali | ||
| Double Feluda | Surajit Dasgupta, Dharanidhar Samaddar | Bengali | ||
| 2017 | Black Coffee | Tirthoraj Roy | Bengali | |
| Mickey & Mimi | Mimi's Father | Bengali | Short film on Addatimes[8] | |
| Byomkesh O Agnibaan | Ajit Bandopadhyay | Bengali | [9] | |
| Jagga Jasoos | "Tutti Futti" aka "Badol Bagchi" / Jagga's Father | Hindi | ||
| 2018 | Ray | Bengali | ||
| Dwikhondito | Koushik Roy | Bengali | ||
| Aschhe Abar Shabor | Shabor Dasgupta | Bengali | ||
| Hoichoi Unlimited | Animesh Chakladar | Bengali | ||
| Good night city | DCP Chatterjee | Bengali | ||
| 2019 | Thai Curry | - | Bengali | [10] |
| Network | Abhijit Ganguly | Bengali | ||
| Panther: Hindustan Meri Jaan | Spyder | Bengali | ||
| Basu Poribar | - | Bengali | ||
| Tokhon Kuasa Chilo | Bengali | |||
| Tarikh | Bengali | |||
| The Parcel | Souvik | Bengali | ||
| 2020 | Tiki-Taka | PK | Bengali | ZEE5 Release |
| Sannyasi Deshonayok | - | Bengali | Based on Gumnami Baba myth | |
| Dil Bechara | Mr. Basu | Hindi | Disney+ Hotstar Release | |
| Chobiyal | Bengali | |||
| Shironam | Bengali | |||
| 2021 | Pratidwandi | Bengali | ||
| Hiralal | Bengali | |||
| Habu Chandra Raja Gobu Chandra Montri | Habuchandra Raja | Bengali | ||
| Shororipu 2: Jotugriho | Bengali | |||
| Anusandhan | Indra | Bengali | [11] | |
| 2022 | Swastik Sanket | Subhas Chandra Bose | Bengali | |
| 8/12 Binay Badal Dinesh | Bengali | |||
| Dobaaraa | Raja Ghosh | Hindi | ||
| Dhaakad | Handler | Hindi | ||
| Tirandaj Shabor | Shabor Dasgupta | Bengali | ||
| Achena Uttam | Uttam Kumar | Bengali | ||
| Mahisasurmarddini | Politician | Bengali | ||
| 2023 | Rohossomoy | Bengali | ||
| Bad Boy | Shubhankar Bannerjee | Hindi | ||
| Eta Amader Golpo | Praveen Sharma | Bengali | ||
| 2024 | Crew | Vijay Walia | Hindi | |
| Kalki 2898 AD | Commander Manas | Telugu | Debut in Telugu cinema; partially reshot in Hindi[12] | |
| Shastri | Madhab | Bengali | ||
| Jamalaye Jibonto Bhanu | Bhanu Bandopadhyay | Bengali | ||
| 2025 | The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika | Belal Malik | Bengali | |
| Metro...In Dino | Sanjeev | Hindi | ||
| Dear Maa | Asitabha | Bengali | ||
| The Bengal Files | Sardar Husseini, MLA | Hindi | ||
| Akhanda 2: Thaandavam | Chang | Telugu | ||
| 2026 | Hok Kolorob | SP Khudiram Chaki | Bengali |
Web series
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Language | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dhimaner Dinkaal | Dhiman Dutta | Bengali | ALT Balaji |
| 2018 | Shei Je Holud Pakhi | Somnath Maitra | Bengali | Hoichoi |
| 2021 | Shei Je Holud Pakhi Season 2 | Somnath Maitra | Bengali | Hoichoi |
| 2022 | Mahabharat Murders | Pabitra Chatterjee | Bengali | Hoichoi |
| 2023 | ||||
| Kaantay Kaantay | Prashanna Kumar Basu | Bengali | ZEE5 | |
| Abar Proloy | Animesh Dutta | Bengali | ZEE5 | |
| The Night Manager | Brij Paul alias BJ | Hindi | Disney+ Hotstar | |
| Tooth Pari: When Love Bites | David | Hindi | Netflix | |
| 2024 | Kaantaye Kaantaye | P. K. Basu | Bengali | ZEE5 |
| Advocate Achinta Aich | Advocate Sitaram Ganguly | Bengali | Hoichoi | |
| 2025 | Khakee: The Bengal Chapter | Shankar “Bagha” Barua | Bengali | Netflix |
| Advocate Achinta Aich 2 | Advocate Sitaram Ganguly (Guest appearance) | Bengali | Hoichoi | |
| 2026 | Abar Proloy 2 | Animesh Dutta | Bengali | ZEE5 |
Television
[edit]| Year | Show | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Gosaipur Sargaram | Topshe | Bengali |
| Sheyal Debota Rahasya | Topshe | Bengali | |
| Bosepukure Khunkharapi | Topshe | Bengali | |
| Joto Kando Kathmandute | Topshe | Bengali | |
| 1999 | Jahangirer Swarnamudra | Topshe | Bengali |
| Ghurghutiyar Ghotona | Topshe | Bengali | |
| Golapi Mukto Rahashya | Topshe | Bengali | |
| Ambar Sen Antardhan Rahashya | Topshe | Bengali | |
| 2000 | Ek Akasher Niche | Akash | Bengali |
| Dr. Munshir Diary | Topshe | Bengali | |
| 2005 | Karkat Rashi | Professor | Bengali |
Awards
[edit]- 2021 : West Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actor for Chobiyal[13]
- 2019 : Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film at Madrid International Film Festival for Shironam.[14]
- 2014 : Zee Bangla Gaurav Samman - Best Comedian for Bhooter Bhabishyat
- 2012 : Anandalok Award - Best Supporting Actor for Bhooter Bhabishyat[15]
- 2011 : Tele Cine Awards - Best Supporting Actor for Byomkesh Bakshi[citation needed]
- 2011 : Imphal International Short Film Festival 2012 - Best Supporting Actor for THE FORLORN'[16]
References
[edit]- ^ TNN (19 December 2018). "Saswata Chatterjee is flooded with birthday wishes". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ a b c "Bob Biswas gets even bigger". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Bengali actor Subhendu Chatterjee dead". Indo-Asian News Service. 5 July 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "A Director's Actor". The Telegraph. 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ Trans World Features (22 January 2008). "The legend of Feluda". Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
- ^ Bose, Adrija (27 March 2012). "Bob Biswas : I even scared my wife". Firstpost. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Kahaani's Bob Biswas a rage on FB, Twitter". Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Addatimes – Watch Original Web Series & Bengali Short Film online". addatimes.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Byomkesh takes aim". The Telegraph. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ Taran Adarsh [@taran_adarsh] (23 February 2019). "Soham Chakraborty, Hiraan Chatterjee, Rudranil Ghosh, Saswata Chatterjee, Trina Saha, Bidya Sinha Mim and Rachel White... First look poster of #Bengali film #ThaiCurry... Directed by Ankit Aditya... 1 March 2019 release... Distribution by SSR Cinemas P Ltd. https://t.co/RYtmWcacfe" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Ruman Ganguly (2 September 2020). "Paayel and Saswata set to fly to London for Kamaleswar's film shoot". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ Kamal Haasan & Director Nag Ashwin Interview: Kalki 2898 AD and Comic-Con 2023. 8:10 minutes in. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023 – via YouTube.
Some scenes would definitely be more impactful if we are shooting it in Hindi. So we are shooting it in two languages. But for the most part it's a Telugu film...
- ^ "Award 2022 - WBFJA: Welcome to the official website of West Bengal Film Journalists' Association". Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "International recognition for Saswata". The Times of India. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "'Bhooter Bhabishyat' sweeps Anandalok Purashkar". News18. Saswata Mukherjee and Mumtaz Sircar also won the award for best supporting actors, male and female respectively. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Award Winners of First IISFF 2012". Retrieved 6 January 2020.