Braving the pandemic, 85-year-old Soumitra Chatterjee reports for work on sets of Abhijaan

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee has started shooting for his film Abhijaan (2020), braving the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic for people above 65. The veteran actor is 85.

Chatterjjee has taken the bold step to complete shooting for his autobiographical film Abhijaan (2020), directed by Parambrata Chatterjee. The shooting of the film was stopped midway due to the lockdown on 17 March and the veteran has three days of work remaining. He will then begin shooting for Shyamal Basu’s Somoy (2020).

“It’s not that I am not scared. The entire atmosphere around us is quite scary. Of course, I am nervous about going out and shooting. However, this film is based on my life. I have three days of shooting left. I want to complete it and be free of the responsibilities,” said the actor.

While Chatterjee is back on the sets, veteran actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Ranjit Mallick have contacted COVID-19 despite staying away from the shooting floor. “I want their speedy recovery. However, not everyone is blessed with the privilege to spend days without shooting. I need to shoot to provide for myself," the actor told Ei Samay, a Bengali daily. 

“When you are alive, you have a lot of responsibilities. Responsibilities of both your family and as an actor,” he added. Chatterjee, who refuses to run away from those responsibilities, is taking extra precautions on the shooting floor.