On the fiftieth anniversary of Sonar Kella, Siddhartha Chatterjee Reflects on Topshe, Satyajit Ray, and Life Beyond Cinema in this interview with Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri and Soujannya Das.

Siddhartha Chatterjee, best known for his iconic portrayal of Topshe in Satyajit Ray’s Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath, remains unparalleled in the Feluda cinematic universe. As these timeless classics celebrate decades of enduring popularity, Chatterjee shares his journey from being discovered by Ray to becoming a successful finance professional and restaurateur. He fondly recounts his experiences with Satyajit Ray, Soumitra Chatterjee, and the transformative role of Topshe that brought him widespread recognition. His insights into Bengali cinema, his culinary ventures like Bhojohori Manna, and reflections on evolving storytelling make for a fascinating narrative.

One of the reasons why the two Feluda films directed by Satyajit Ray – Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath – continue to resonate with audiences even decades after the films were made is what Siddhartha Chatterjee brought to the character of Topshe. Viewers lament the loss Santosh Dutta, whose legendary portrayal of Lalmohan Ganguly aka Jatayu remains a high point in the annals of Indian cinema. After Santosh Dutta passed away, Satyajit Ray went on record that he would never make a Feluda film again since he could think of no one to replace the actor as Jatayu.

Siddhartha Chatterjee as Topshe too has engendered something similar. No Feluda film – there have been 10 of them since 2003, and a few TV series – has managed to give us a Topshe that can hold a candle to Siddhartha’s portrayal of Feluda’s assistant and cousin. There is something youthfully affecting about Siddhartha as Topshe that no other actor in the role, including stars like Parambrata Chatterjee and Saheb, have managed to convey.

Even as Sonar Kella celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, the actor, who went to become a successful finance professional and author and who set up two immensely successful restaurant chains, speaks to Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri and Soujannya Das about his first meeting with Satyajit Ray and how playing Topshe changed his life.

Shantanu and Soujannya: Can you talk a bit about your early life, your schooling?

Siddhartha: I come from an upper middle-class family. My father (Ranjit Chatterjee) held a senior position as a chartered accountant in a multinational company. My mother (Kalpana Chatterjee) was well educated but a homemaker. She was more interested in what food we should eat, and what special dishes can be made. Coming from East Bengal, she had a keen culinary sense. My mother and grandmother’s (mother’s mother) way with food inspired me to create Bhojohori Manna later.

I did my schooling from Patha Bhavan, Kolkata. I have a sister who also did her schooling from the same school. Not many people knew about the school those days as much as they do now. Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Kishore Kumar were probably funding the school in the beginning. In fact, Patha Bhavan’s logo is designed by Satyajit Ray. Sandip Ray was a student in the school. He was three years senior to me. Mrinal Sen and Kishore Kumar’s son were also students of Patha Bhavan.

I was pampered by my family because I was the only boy in the family. I was surrounded by many maternal uncles who were bachelors. They used to spend a lot on me. I used to get many gifts. In Kali Puja I used to receive fireworks worth 200-300 rupees, which was a huge amount in those days.

Shantanu and Soujannya: What kind of subjects interested you? Were you an academically inclined student?

Siddhartha: I was a good student and scored well enough in exams. However, the subject that really inspired me was football. Unfortunately, my school did not have any playground. But they ensured that every week we were taken to Vivekananda Park where we used to play football. There was no formal practice as such. I was neither interested in theatre, drama, nor reading books. My only interest was sports. I did not watch films as a child. Hailing from a conservative family, films were not encouraged.

Shantanu and Soujannya: How did Sonar Kella happen?

Siddhartha: Jethu’s (Satyajit Ray) favourite hunting ground for his actors was Patha Bhavan School. He used to ask the school authorities to help him find him young actors he might need. I had no idea about it. He had mentioned his requirement for an actor to play Topshe to Partha Basu, who was one of my teachers from whom I took private tuitions. One evening I was at his place for my tuitions. In those days, 1972-73, there were frequent power cuts. We had no generators and the only option was candles. We were studying by the light of the flickering candle flame which was creating a play of light and shadow on my face. All of a sudden Partha-da sat up straight. He did not wait for a minute. He asked me if I had a car and then told me to accompany him. He later told me that there was something about the way the candlelight flickered on my face that made him feel I was what Satyajit Ray was looking for.

Soon, we were standing near a huge house in Bishop Lefroy Road. Of course, today the mention of the road is enough for people to know its significance. At the time, I had no idea. Partha-da asked me to walk upstairs with him. The house did not have a lift back then. The stairs were made of wood. Partha-da asked me to wait in one room while he went inside. I looked around me. There were a lot of film posters, mostly of wild west films. I don’t remember the names but there was Chaplin’s poster too. Also, there was Jethu’s picture. After that Partha-da called me inside. It was a much bigger room with books scattered all around. Then, I noticed the gentleman sitting.

Partha-da introduced me to him saying, ‘Manik-da, this is Siddhartha.’ I thought that his name was ‘Manik Da’. And then our conversation began. He asked me if I studied at Patha Bhavan and in Partha Basu’s class. I nodded. He then said, ‘Uma?’ I was shocked – he was calling our school headmistress by her first name. (Laughs). I stared at him and asked, ‘Are you talking about our headmistress?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ Next, he called the assistant headmistress, Nandita, by her first name. She was Subrata Mitra’s wife. I kept thinking, ‘Who is this man?’  

Then he asked me if I read books. I told him I read Swapan Kumar’s pulp thrillers. These were part of the bot-towla genre of trashy fiction very popular those days. The books were so slim that one could finish a few every day. Also, every fourteen days a new series used to come out. My mention of Swapan Kumar piqued his interest – a student of Class 8 reading Swapan Kumar!

Then, he mentioned Feluda. I asked him, ‘Who is Feluda?’

He said, ‘Feluda is like Byomkesh Bakshi. Not as big as Byomkesh but he is almost as big.’ Partha-da must have been hugely embarrassed – his student at Patha Bhavan, Satyajit Ray’s school, did not know Feluda! Jethu then kept on talking about Feluda, mentioning that his assistant was a young boy who helped him solve his cases. I was excited. Slowly, over the conversation, I started developing an interest.

I told him I would buy and read the book, but that the book was not available at Shanti-da’s stall. He said, ‘No, no, I don’t think you will get this in Shanti-da’s stall.’

I said, ‘No, but Byomkesh is available there.’

‘Then, let me give you a book?’

I said, ‘Yes, sure.’

He signed the book. As soon as I received the signed copy, I saw Satyajit Ray’s name written on it. I excitedly said, ‘You are Satyajit Ray?’ (Laughs).

He replied, ‘Yes. I have written this book.’

I wonder what it might have been like to know that the kid speaking to him couldn’t recognize him. Later, I asked Jethu about the same. He told me, ‘I knew everybody knows Satyajit Ray. It was important for me to know the person who didn’t know me.’

Then I said, ‘I loved your film Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne.’ He asked me who I liked more, Goopy or Bagha. I said Bagha. He asked me why. I said that Bagha knows how to play a dhol, and I also know it a bit. Then he said, ‘Oh, similar hobby, I understand.’ He then asked me to read the story and let him know over the telephone if I liked it or not – I still remember the phone number … ‘448747’.

I told Jethu that it was late and I needed to go back home. He asked me to call my home from his telephone and inform them that I was going to be late. I refused and said that I needed to go back home. I had become a little conscious after learning that he was Satyajit Ray. I just wanted to run away. (Laughs)

He then told me, ‘In the story a kid has been kidnapped.’

I asked, ‘Who?’

He started involving me in the story so that he could stop me leaving his house early. He kept narrating the story in an interesting way and I kept on asking him questions. Then he said, ‘I am thinking of making a film on the story. I know who I will cast as Feluda but I like you very much as Topshe. You can play his part.’  

I said, ‘No, I will not do it. I have never acted before, so I don’t think I can do this.’

He said, ‘That is not a problem, I will look into it. You just tell me, if you want to do the film or not.’

I stood up and went towards the door. I opened it and ran downstairs. As soon as I reached the end, Jethu said, ‘Siddhartha, akbar opore esho toh. Shonge kintu revolver thakbe Feludar!’ (Siddhartha, please come upstairs once. Feluda has a revolver with him.) Now, that was interesting. A revolver? I ran up.  

I said, ‘Real revolver?’

He said, ‘Yes!’

I said, ‘My father has a revolver but he doesn’t let me see it.’

He said, ‘I will let you see the revolver.’ He then mentioned that Feluda and Topshe will also ride a camel to catch a train.

I said, ‘Wow, a camel? But why will they catch the train?’

He said, ‘You will have to read the book to know that.’ He was revealing little portions of the story and trying to get me hooked. He was a master at storytelling. Before I left, he said, ‘Let me know after reading the story. Then, we are going to Rajasthan together!’

It was only later I realized how weird it was. He selected me without any screen test, any voice test. Frankly speaking, I did not look like Topshe at that time. I had extremely short hair, I was very thin. I used to wear half pants. In fact, it was in Sonar Kella that I wore full pants for the first time. But Jethu had the power to visualize. He knew that with slightly long hair, with a jacket, I would turn into the character. This is how Topshe happened.

Shantanu and Soujannya: What was the first day of shoot like?

Siddhartha: I was shocked when I visited the studio for the first time. Feluda’s drawing room did not have a roof, it only had three walls and another part of the wall was missing. I asked Jethu, ‘Eigulo je nei, kono problem hobe na?’ (Will the one missing wall and the roof not be a problem?) He said, ‘I will manage it.’ I did not know that only that portion of the room would be in the frame and not the rest.

In the first shot I had to open the door. He explained that whoever came to meet Feluda was received at this door. Today his client had come to visit. He explained that I would have to greet the client politely with a smile. I said but I was supposed to be eating bread too. He said that I would have to come running in the middle of my breakfast to open the door. Half of the bread would be in my hands and the rest inside my mouth. He asked me, ‘You are not going to eat the bread standing in front of him, so what will you do?’

I said, ‘I will hide the bread in my hands and swallow what is inside my mouth.’ And then I will have to greet the guest and request him to come inside. I said, ‘It is very easy.’  

He called for action. Now, when I opened the door, I saw a camera and a black cloth. I expected someone to come. (Laughs) I said, ‘Where is the client?’

He said, ‘It is fake. Think of the camera as the client.’ And the next shot was the perfect one. He said it was brilliant. He used to always encourage the actors. If he felt that something was wrong, he used to say, ‘Let us take a safe take, there was some mistake in the operation.’ It was his way of saying that the shot hadn’t worked.

Shantanu and Soujannya: How was it like working with Soumitra Chatterjee?

Siddhartha: When I first met Soumitra-kaku at Jethu’s house, I was star-struck. I told him that I liked his twist in Teen Bhubaner Paare very much, and that I also knew how to do it. Soumitra Chatterjee was already a legend and a superstar but he was extremely friendly with me from the first day. Probably because I was the same age as his son. He was what we call a ‘my dear’ person. When he was shifting to his house in Golf Green, I visited him in the morning to help him. I spent a lot of time with him over drinks and conversation.

Later, I did a film with him called Arohan where I played his son. We had to shoot in Benares which is where we had shot Joy Baba Felunath too. Soumitra-kaku was not keeping well at the time, and he was a bit scared to stay in the room alone. He asked me to stay with him. Dipa-kakima had warned me to not let him eat unhealthy food. After we had our drinks, Soumitra-kaku said, ‘What if we have chapati and kosha chicken?’ I said, ‘That would be fantastic, but you will have to eat what I have ordered; soup and salad. You are going to sleep after you eat.’ He said, ‘What? No, no, why soup and salad?’ I said, ‘I have got an instruction from Kakima that you will only be allowed to eat healthy food.’ I never felt tense or uncomfortable because a star was with me.

Shantanu and Soujannya: Can you share your experience while shooting the camel scene in Sonar Kella?

Siddhartha: I had never ridden a camel before. I knew how to get up and get down from the camel. At the same time Topshe couldn’t be nervous while riding the camel. He had to be enjoying the ride. So, it was quite an effort to have that smile on my face. I realized early on that it was essential to coordinate your body’s movement with that of the camel’s undulating movement. I had a good experience because I was a sportsman. We did not get time for any rehearsals, because our train from Jodhpur was two-and-a-half hours late. Jethu wanted to take the shot in full afternoon sunlight. We reached the location at 2:30 p.m. whereas we were supposed to reach at 12 noon. Shooting in full afternoon sunlight calls for a different light composition, texture, and aperture. With that there was the camel’s run which had to be coordinated with that of the train.

Those days we did not have drones. The camera was placed on top of a jeep. Also, there were close-up shots of the actor’s expressions. Because of the delay in the train’s timings the schedule became very tight. There was no chance of rehearsals. To add to the schedule woes, the person pouring coal into the train’s boiler had never seen a film shooting before. He forgot to pour the coal and kept on staring at the camera and the shooting. Jethu had to holler, ‘Cut, cut, cut, where is the smoke?’ The person said, ‘Babu, bhool gaya.’ (Sir, I forgot.) Jethu wanted the black smoke in the scene. Then we went for the second shot, where the train had to go back to its first position. A member from the team was there with the person to ensure he was putting the coal inside the boiler.  

Now, in the second take, Feluda was shouting ‘Roko roko’. The train driver thought he was asking him to stop the train. (Laughs) With all of this happening we were losing time and light. Then, Jethu explained the scene to the driver. The third shot was the perfect one. We all have seen the scene.  

I remember that I was very hurt about not having any makeup on my face. I even complained to Jethu about the same. He said that Topshe was a smart guy, he didn’t need makeup. Feluda has false hair and that is why he needed to put on some makeup. Jethu understood that it had hurt my ego as an actor as I felt left out. (Laughs)

Shantanu and Soujannya: Do you remember the film’s theatrical release?

Siddhartha: I enjoyed the film as much as the others did. I forgot that I was there in the film. I was not looking at myself, I was more interested in Jatayu. He was my main attraction. I was in Class 9 when the film released. My parents and sister also went to watch the film. They also enjoyed Jatayu very much. At times, I used to visit Basusree cinema hall on my bicycle to see if the matinee, evening and night shows were houseful or not. If it was houseful, I used to call Jethu and inform him. He would ask me to update him the same the next day. He also started enjoying it since someone was giving an update of his film every day. 

Shantanu and Soujannya: Did your friends watch the film? How did they react?

Siddhartha: Everybody from the school was taken to watch the film. I also went with them. I was a very introverted child. With the release of the film, I knew that something important had happened in my life. When I travelled in a public bus, the passengers would recognize me and exclaim, ‘Arey, Topshe!’ Once, Netaji Indoor Stadium hosted a World Table Tennis tournament. So, all the schools were invited to watch it. There, the girl students from another school came to me for autographs. That was the first time I realized that I had become someone. Also, during Pujo, I used to sit on addas in the veranda next to the road. People used to ask for autographs. I used to feel very irritated. I don’t remember how much I enjoyed it. It did however create a distance with my friends.

Shantanu and Soujannya: Why didn’t you act in films more regularly?

Siddhartha: I was studying chartered accountancy when shooting Joy Baba Felunath. My mother had a talk with Jethu. She said, ‘Apnar pallaye porey na amar cheleta gollaye jabe.’ (Your influence will ruin my son.) She was a bit tense because she thought I would get distracted and might neglect my studies. Jethu asked my mother not to worry, and promised her that I would become a chartered accountant. That it had no relation with my being in films. He took this as a challenge. After Joy Baba Felunath whenever I visited his house or called him, he always asked about my studies. After I passed my exams, I called my mother and then Jethu. Jethu was very happy. He asked me to come to his house before going home. He told me, ‘I am very happy for you and I am sure your mother will also feel the same. If you want to do more films, think twice. Not all films are made the way you are used to. So, keep that in mind.’ I said, ‘Yes, yes, anyway I have no interest in films.’

After that I got a job in Delhi. I shifted there. Then I came back and got a job here. Either you hang around in Tollywood or you busy yourself in the corporate world. I chose the corporate world which I started enjoying. After that I got married and had to look into my children’s growing up. Then in the year 2009, I did Madly Bangalee by Anjan Dutt. Followed by Hitlist with Sandip Ray.  

Shantanu and Soujannya: Can you talk a bit about your financial consultancy background?

Siddhartha: It is an offshoot of chartered accountancy. I went into the education part. I knew that the stock market and financial education are things Bengalis avoid. Around 2003-04, I started writing books dealing in finance. Surprisingly they became bestsellers. Now, I write two books a year. If anyone reads them, they will find Feluda’s essence because I am very much influenced by it. I design the book covers myself. I learned a little storyboarding from Jethu. People appreciate my book covers. In the world of finance, I am known as an educationist. I teach students online from all over the world. I wish I could be a calligrapher like Satyajit Ray. Most of the covers of the book are inspired by him and his films. I write a lot about finance, I do seminars, talk shows on finance. This is one of my passions which I have practised for the last twenty years.  

Shantanu and Soujannya: How did Bhojohori Manna happen? 

Siddhartha: In 2003, we, five partners and friends including director Goutam Ghose, were having a drink session. I told them, let us do a food business together. We decided not to invest much. I was adamant about having fish curry and rice on the menu. Goutam Ghose said, ‘Nobody will come and eat fish and rice in Kolkata.’ I said, ‘People will definitely come. If rice and fish is not being cooked in the house for a day, they eat here. If both husband and wife are working, who will make food?’ But Bhojohori Manna never started as a Bhaat Machher Jhol shop, it started as a chop and snacks shop. It did not take off for the first fifteen days. Then, we switched to Bhaat Machher Jhol. Now we have about sixteen outlets. We never had to put in extra money. Whatever we used to earn from the sales, we used to invest back in the restaurant. Soumitra-kaku’s favourite was shukto and fish fry. He also loved our chicken and small fish too.

You need a few things to start a business. Number one is capital which we did not have. We did not know how to cook. We just had an idea and a passion. One day I called everyone and said the restaurant’s name was going to be Bhojohori Manna. This name has a recall value in the heart of Bengalis, in the light of Manna Dey’s evergreen song. When Manna Dey visited us, he admitted that he never thought that a restaurant could be named after a song. Manna Dey was a regular at the Bangalore outlet of Bhojohori Manna.

Shantanu and Soujannya: Then there’s Machhli Baba, another stupendous culinary success?

Siddhartha: Samaj Sebi Puja Mandap used to put up stalls during Durga Pujo. There was an extra stall which they were unable to utilize. They asked me to put up a stall of fries. I agreed. We made prawn butter fry, fish fry, fish chop and put up the stall on Sasthi. We served them hot. By 7:10 p.m. all the items were finished. I had never served on this scale before. I thought there was a mistake. How can 250 pieces of fish fry get sold in one hour? The next day I made 1000 pieces instead of 250. I made 2000 pieces of prawn butter fry. All of them were sold off by 8 p.m. So, the huge success of the stall in the four days led me to believe that I could make a go of an eatery which would only sell fries – fish fry, chicken cutlets, etc. We are now going to Hyderabad, Delhi, Darjeeling, Goa.  

The name of the restaurant is of course a tribute to Joy Baba Felunath. The items on the menu are influenced by Satyajit Ray. There is a Topshe Machher fry.

Shantanu and Soujannya: Do you think that contemporary Bengali cinema is in a good place?

Siddhartha: Definitely, it is in a better place than it was in the 1990s and early new millennium. Not that all the films are good, but they are done very well. Sometimes I don’t like the content because it is not relevant to me. Take, Aritra Sen’s Sohorer Ushnotomo Dine which is a new generation film where a father and son are talking in English. When I watch the old films of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen I think that even with no subject, horrible camera angles and frames there was a magic. That magic is missing in today’s films. Shiboprosad and Nandita can make films keeping in mind Bengali sentiments. I wish Bengali directors make more films for children. I don’t know why they lack courage. Also, the definition of romance has changed with time. Uttam-Suchitra romance is no longer acceptable in modern society. Characters like Jatayu are missing in today’s time. Also, filmmakers are not experimenting much. Technically films produced now are brilliant but there is a lack of bold attitude towards films.