When I was born, the nurse told my mother, “Mubaarak ho... actor hua hai”, says Namashi Chakraborty

He goes by the name Namashi Chakraborty, who is all set to make his Bollywood debut with ‘Bad Boy’. He also happens to be the son of the legendary Mithun Chakraborty. OTTplay caught up with Namashi for an exclusive interview, wherein he spoke all about ‘Bad Boy’ and also revealed the advantages and disadvantages of being the son of the legendary Mithun Chakraborty.

Hi Namashi! To start with, what made you say yes to this film?
I would not say that it was me who said yes to this film. It was my producer and my director who chose me to be a part of the film. They said yes to me. And, when I heard that it is Raj ji (Rajkumar Santoshi) and it is he who is going to be calling the shots and that he is the director, I was absolutely sure to do the film. So, it was not me, it was them who chose me. And when Sajid bhai (the film’s producer) and Raj ji said that it’s a ‘yes from us’, I said... that’s it... baat khattam! Now, let's go and do this film!

Your father Shri Mithun Chakraborty is a living legend. You never wanted him to launch you in Bollywood?
Honestly, in our household, the entire concept of recommendations and ‘sifaarish’ does not exist at all. We always believe that one should go out and find work on their own merit. At the same time, definitely, I do come from a certain privilege, and I do have a family that definitely has been in the movies for so long. But I never really had this agenda. And when I landed ‘Bad Boy’ on my own, it was a surreal experience because there was a lot of excitement in me when I came to know that I am literally doing a film that is being directed by Mr. Rajkumar Santoshi. But we never really had this concept of calling anyone and recommending. It was always about us going out and getting work on our own. It was not a very surprising thing for me to go out and get work because I had seen that in my family all my life. In my case, I was fortunate that I landed myself with such a respectable launch.

Did you ask Rajkumar Santoshi or did he ever tell you the reason why you were chosen over many other hopefuls as the leading man of ‘Bad Boy’?
I will tell you what... Raj ji does the casting of his film totally according to the character and the specific look (of the character) that he has in his mind. And the moment I met Raj ji... the day we signed the film... the moment he met me, he said, “You know.... I can see this character in you. I am looking at your face and eyes and the way you are emoting as we are speaking, your body language... I think that you can pull this (role) of. He told me that, as soon as he saw me enter the office, he said, “Yes. I think this guy can play the ‘Bad Boy’s Raghu. I think that he definitely cast me purely on the basis of how I appeared to him when we met. Because his castings are very precise. He does not go by any fact that he / she is someone's son or daughter. He just looks at a person to know if the person suits the role or not. I think Raj ji could relate to me and hence, he cast me without thinking twice.

Can you recall your audition process? Was it a real scene from ‘Bad Boy’ that you enacted or were you told to do/ recreate some iconic role or some actors?
I think that Raj ji wrote a couple of scenes for me and Amrin. He wanted us to enact them and after that we even did a mock shoot and a couple of photoshoots as well. There was a big photoshoot that took place with me and Amrin in order to know how me and Amrin look together. He definitely had his own method to see how it was working out. But one thing that I realized in the process after signing the film is that raj ji is a very passionate storyteller. He works extremely hardon his films, his scripts, his characters. I knew for a fact that I was in the hands of a very committed man. He takes his job extremely seriously. There is a reason why he has given blockbusters in his time. The process, of course, I would say, was very intense to do a Raj ji film as he is a thorough perfectionist. But I was ready for it... I was ready for the challenge. I really had a ball while shooting for the film.

Any memorable moment while shooting for the film?
The very first day was extremely memorable. We were filming in Bangalore. At that time, I was going through a lot of emotions, just like I am right now, with my films being up for release. It was my first day of exploring the character and understanding the nuances of the same. My biggest surprise happened during the lunch break when my father surprised me by being there. After that, I realized that my anxiety and excitement had now tripled because now, he is there. Even though my father was there, he just did not interfere in the film’s shoot. Having these two legendary people during the shoot on the sets definitely motivates you mentally and they are of great help.

Whose idea was it to rope in your father Mithun da I the song ‘Janaabe Ali’?
It was the brainchild of our choreographers. Having my father in a cameo in the song was definitely a surprise for me. But, once I got to know that even my father is doing the song, I immediately started practicing my dance steps from three hours a day to a full six hours a day! To match my step with the dancer of the nation is definitely not easy. The moment he was there on the set, everyone’s energy and enthusiasm simply pumped up to the fullest. Even though my father was there and was us doing the song for just about an hour, trust me, all of us had fun like never before in that one hour. And my father is a one take artist.

In a nutshell, what's the film ‘Bad Boy’ about?
The film is about ‘opposites attract’. I play a typical streetsmart ‘tapori’ in the film, wherein Amrin (the film’s heroine) plays the sophisticated rich girl. I fall in love with the girl, whose father is the legendary actor Saswata Chatterjee... Dada. The film is all about the ‘takraar’ between me and the girl’s father. It is him who names me ‘Bad Boy’ as he doesn’t like me in the film. But, in the end Raghu (the name of my character) becomes a good boy... a likeable bad boy. You need to see the film to know what I mean.

As a child or a grown-up son of Mithunda, how did you and also how are you handling his global fame? We also got to know that there are still women in Russia who want to get married to your father... even now!
Absolyutrley! And, I have been a witness to that myself! The craze that my father has in Russia and the way they look upto him is unbelievable and unprecedented.

Aha! Also, there is an ‘incident’ which took place during your birth. Is it true that, when you were born, the nurse told your mother, ‘Mubaarak ho, actor hua hai’?
Yes.. It's absolutely true. I have always wanted to be an actor, ever since my birth! (smiles).

What are the pluses and the minus of being the son of the legendary Mithunda?
The plus is that I am born to a legend and the minus is that I am born to a legend! (smiles) It's as simple as that. Even though people expect a lot from me because I am Mithunda’s son, at the same time, these people also support me to the core.