Tota Roy Chowdhury

Tota Roy Chowdhury
Tota in 2021
Born
Pushparag Roy Choudhury

(1976-07-09) 9 July 1976 (age 48)
NationalityIndian
OccupationActor
Years active1993–present

Tota Roy Chowdhury is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Bengali and Hindi cinema.[1] He is also known for his versatile acting performances, fitness, martial arts and dance moves.[2][3] His notable roles include Feluda in the Hoichoi web series Feludar Goyendagiri[4] based on Satyajit Ray's Feluda series, Chandon Chatterjee in Karan Johar's film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Rohit Sen in Star Jalsha's daily soap Sreemoyee.[5]

He made his big screen debut opposite Miss Jojo in Prabhat Roy's Bengali film Duranta Prem (1993).[6] His breakthrough role came with Rituparno Ghosh's National Award winning Bengali film Chokher Bali (2003).[7]

Career

Early career

During his second year in college, he made up his mind to join the Indian Army and was preparing for the CDS exams when fate intervened and he was asked by the director Prabhat Roy to play a small role in his film. That one film brought other offers and soon he decided to become a professional actor. After starring in a few commercially successful films, he was spotted by director Rituparno Ghosh and cast opposite Nandita Das in his film Shubho Mahurat.[8]

Breakthrough

Chowdhury was cast again opposite Aishwarya Rai in Rituparno's Tagore adaptation, Chokher Bali. He won several awards, including the BFJA Award for the Best Actor.

After Chokher Bali, he did several films both commercial and mainstream like Aborto, Biye Not Out, Choukaath, Benche Thakar Gaan, Bolo Na Tumi Aamar, Paglu 2, Villain, and Shapath which cemented his position in the Bengali film industry.

He did an extended cameo in the AR Murugadoss directed Kaththi which introduced him into Tamil film industry. He also starred in the Sujoy Ghosh directed short film Ahalya alongside Soumitra Chatterjee and Radhika Apte, which went viral and he was noticed for his powerful presence as the police inspector. He then played the role of Arun in the film Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh; directed by Sujoy Ghosh opposite Vidya Balan,[9] which got him noticed by the Hindi film industry. His second Hindi film Indu Sarkar[10] directed by Madhur Bhandarkar was released in 2017. He was cast opposite Kirti Kulhari and his portrayal of the troubled government servant Navin fetched him recognition and praises. Industry veteran Anupam Kher tweeted "Tota in Indu Sarkar is a brilliant piece of casting" and Asutosh Gowariker tweeted "Superb performance by Tota Roy Choudhury".

His next film was Helicopter Eela, directed by Pradeep Sarkar, where he was cast opposite Kajol. His portrayal of the psychologically disturbed Arun fetched him positive reviews. He then did a cameo in The Girl on the Train, a Hindi remake of English film of the same name.

He also plays the iconic Bengali detective Feluda created by Satyajit Ray, in a web series directed by the multiple National Award winner Srijit Mukherji.[11]

In 2023, he recently acted in Karan Johar's directorial comeback Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani; along with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. His performance, with regards to acting and Kathak dance, in this film has grabbed a lot of attention and accolades.

Filmography

Films

Year Films Role Language Notes
1993 Duranta Prem Bengali
1996 Puja Chayan Da
Mukhyamantri Rajat
Nach Nagini Nach Re
Lathi Prashanta
1998 Ranokhetro Noni Roy
Hothat Brishti Basav
1999 Shudhu Ekbar Bolo
Sontan Jokhon Shotru Dipyendu "Dipu" Ray
Gariber Samman Sumon
2000 Sasurbari Zindabad Prashanta
Satbhai
2001 Dada Thakur Rathin Roy
2003 Shubho Mahurat Arindam
Chokher Bali Behari
2004 Ram Laxman Laxman Sanyal
2005 Shunya E Buke Artist's Friend
2006 Dosar Kaushik's colleague
Podokkhep Debjit
Andhakarer Shabdo Director
Abhinetree
2007 Aloy Phera
Kailashe Kelenkari Himself Cameo Appearance
2008 90 Ghanta George
Golmaal Mainak
Mon Amour: Shesher Kobita Revisited Jeet
Tintorettor Jishu Robin / Rajshekhar Niyogi
2009 Paran Jai Jaliya Re Sid
Angshumaner Chhobi Neel
Hitlist
2010 Bolo Na Tumi Aamar IPS Soumyadeep Sen
Tara Police Inspector
2012 Chaal - The Game Begins
Paglu 2 Rudra
Tor Naam Lecturer of Physics
2013 Villain Arnab
Aborto Shyamal Sen
Sunglass Sanjay Bengali Version
2014 Biye Not Out Nikhil Sengupta
Ek Phaali Rodh Pratim
Kaththi Vivek Banarjee Tamil
2015 Shapath: The Promise Bengali
Ahalya Inspector Indra Sen Short Film
Choukath: The Threshold Ronojoy
2016 Te3n Peter Hindi Cameo
Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh Arun
Benche Thakar Gaan Dr. Sinha Bengali
2017 Indu Sarkar Naveen Sarkar Hindi
2018 Helicopter Eela Arun Raiturkar
2019 Misha Bengali
Jaanbaaz IPS Officer Abhijit Sarkar
2021 The Girl on the Train Dr. Hamid (psychiatrist) Hindi Netflix Release
Ajeeb Daastaans Rohan Netflix Release
Mukhosh Dr. D.S. Paul Bengali
2023 Beautiful Life Painter Bengali
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Chandon Chatterjee Hindi
Ranchi SSP Pravin Kumar Singh Kannada
2024 Tekka Rajiv Sanyal Bengali
2024 Chaalchitro-the Frame Fatale Kanishka Chatterjee (Joint Commissioner Crime)

Television and web series

Awards

Year Awards Category Title Result
2004 BFJA Award Best Actor Chokher Bali Won
2008 Anandalok Awards Best Supporting Actor Ekhane Akash Neel Won
2009 Tele Samman Best Actor Won
2012 Hyderabad Bengali Film Festival Best Supporting Actor Aborto Won
2017 Pune Short Films Festival Best Actor in a Negative Role Ahalya Won
2021 West Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Best Actor Mukhosh Won
2024 News 18 Showsha Reel Awards Best Supporting Actor (popular) Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Won

References

  1. ^ "Tota Roy Chowdhury movies, filmography, biography and songs – Cinestaan.com". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ "I am looking at a pan-Indian presence: Bengali actor Tota Roy Choudhury". The Indian Express.
  3. ^ "Tota Roy Chaudhary on Indu Sarkar controversy: Little alarmed". The Indian Express.
  4. ^ "Watch Feluda Pherot | Addatimes - Originals". addatimes.com.
  5. ^ a b Banerjee, Anish. "Picasso Web Series: Actor Tota Roy Chowdhury appears as a painter in Klikk's Crime and Thriller 'Picasso'". BruTimes.
  6. ^ "Stars and their lowest paycheck". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Chokher Bali (2003) – Review, Star Cast, News, Photos". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  8. ^ Technologies, QSOL. "Tota Roy Choudhury | Official Website of Bengali Actor". totaroychoudhury.com. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  9. ^ "What is Tota Roy Chowdhury doing in Vidya Balan's Kahaani 2?". Hindustan Times.
  10. ^ "Bengali actor Tota Roy Chowdhury in Madhur Bhandarkar's next". The Indian Express.
  11. ^ a b "Tota Roy Choudhury: Feluda will start his 'Bhuswargo Bhoyonkawr' shooting from January". The Times of India. 21 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Tota makes a comeback after 15 years on telly". The Times of India.
  13. ^ "I am taking baby steps in Bollywood: Tota Roy Chowdhury". India Blooms.
  14. ^ "Swastika Mukherjee-Tota Roy Choudhury starrer 'Nikhoj' to premiere next month". The Times of India. 13 July 2023.