Dharam ji taught me what an actor's discipline is: Tota Roy Chowdhury

Tota Roy Chowdhury earned massive praise for his applause-worthy act in Karan Johar helmed ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. As the loving father of Alia Bhatt in this family drama, the actor floored fans. Six months later, Tota Roy Chowdhury is reaping the benefits of his path-breaking act.
“A lot of people have woken up to the fact that I did something which was career altering.Because of my physicality and the kind of roles that I've done, I've been boxed in a certain category. But with ‘Rocky aur Rani…’, I think I broke out of the box, thanks to Karan sir. After this movie, a lot of fashion designers, hairdressers, makeup artists, classical dancers got in touch with me and said that you have really put across our feelings, our emotions, our story. And that truly has contributed to me being very fulfilled as an artist. A lot of offers have been coming my way, so it's very liberating for me as an actor,” shared the actor.
Not just offers but the finances also took a positive twist, said Tota, “It has changed for the better and I'm thankful for that because now I can choose my projects without worrying about the money part. Money is important but not more important than creative satisfaction. Now that I have a slightly better traction in the trade, I am trying to attract more characters.”
Tota Roy Chowdhury began 2024 with courtroom drama ‘Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo’. Speaking about the same, he added, “This was my first show after ‘Rocky Rani…’ was released. The script had such meat and such depth that I thought that this is something that I have to do. For the first time in my career I played a lawyer and I had a great time shooting for it. Fans have been loving my performance and it looks like my work has landed on its intended target.”
He has also shot for Special OPS season 2, which is helmed by Neeraj Pandey. Refusing to reveal any details, Tota stated, “The only thing that I can tell you is that this series is going to be bigger and better. The way it is being taught, the series is going to be in competition with international shows. That's the way it's being shot.”
Reminiscing about the shoot of ‘Rocky aur Rani…’, Tota Roy Chowdhury also opened up about sharing the frame with Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. He stated, “ The incredible hard work that such superstars and such legends put in, even today. When I watch Dharam ji, he is there on the sets at 12 midnight, waiting patiently for his shot. Karan sir is being apologetic saying, ‘Dharam uncle, I'm so sorry. I'll have to finish this and take yours’ and he's like, ‘beta, theek hai’. He's so cool, calm and collected. I've seen people who are not even close to his stature and they throw a tantrum if they have to wait. And Dharam ji being the legend that he is, waits patiently. He taught me what an actor's discipline is. A legend waiting calmly and quietly for a shot to happen and waiting for his director to give him instructions, this picture will remain with me always. So whenever I feel that I'm being made to wait, I just think about Dharma ji sitting there in a corner, patiently waiting for a shot to happen. At the end of the day, it's not about the skills, it's about the discipline. There are many skillful actors who have fallen to the wayside. It's only discipline combined with skill which will take you the distance.”
“Also, Shabana ji, Jaya ji, they would always be ready with their dialogues. They have already memorized the dialogues when they set foot on the set. Jaya ji is incredible, one moment she's laughing, she hears action and there's a different Jaya ji altogether. That huge matriarch she becomes in the movie and cut, she becomes that Guddi once again, laughing, joking. Shabana ji had to sing four lines in Bengali. She called up somebody in Kolkata for it and rehearsed for hours by the pool, all by herself. She doesn't need to prove anything to anybody anymore. But here she is, practicing those four lines over and over again so that she gets it perfectly right. That is what legends are. I am so impressed. The skills, publicity, followers on Instagram, everything is way, way secondary,” concluded Tota Roy Chowdhury.