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]
Tota Roy Chowdhury | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tota in 2021 | |
| Born | Pushparag Roy Choudhury 9 July 1976 Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
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
editEarly career
editDuring 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
editChowdhury 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
editFilms
edit| 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 | |
| TBA | Chaalchitro-the Frame Fatale | Kanishka Chatterjee (Joint Commissioner Crime) |
Television and web series
edit- Ekhane Aakash Neel (2008-2009) as Dr. Romit Sen
- Taranath Tantrik[12][13] (2016); based on the character created by Taradas Bandopadhyay
- Sreemoyee (2019-2021) as Rohit Sen (Star Jalsa)
- Feluda Pherot (Season 1) (2020) as Feluda; Webseris (Addatimes) Based on the Bengali novel Chhinnamastar Abhishap by Satyajit Ray
- Feluda Pherot (Season 2)(Unreleased) as Feluda; Based on the Bengali novel 'Joto Kando Kathmandute' by Satyajit Ray
- Feludar Goyendagiri (Season 1) (2022) as Feluda; Based on the Bengali novel 'Darjeeling Jomjomat' by Satyajit Ray[11]
- Nikhoj as Romit Sen (Journalist) Web series, Hoichoi[14]
- Picasso as Palash Choudhury/Picasso (Painter)(web series, KLiKK) (2023)[5]
- Jaha bolibo sottyo bolibo as Jayraj Singha; (Lawyer) Web series, Hoichoi
- Nikhoj 2 as Romit Sen; (Journalist) Web series, Hoichoi
- Feludar Goyendagiri (Season 2) (2024) as Feluda; web series Hoichoi; Based on the Bengali novel Bhuswargo Bhayankar by Satyajit Ray
Awards
edit| 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
edit- ^ "Tota Roy Chowdhury movies, filmography, biography and songs – Cinestaan.com". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "I am looking at a pan-Indian presence: Bengali actor Tota Roy Choudhury". The Indian Express.
- ^ "Tota Roy Chaudhary on Indu Sarkar controversy: Little alarmed". The Indian Express.
- ^ "Watch Feluda Pherot | Addatimes - Originals". addatimes.com.
- ^ a b Banerjee, Anish. "Picasso Web Series: Actor Tota Roy Chowdhury appears as a painter in Klikk's Crime and Thriller 'Picasso'". BruTimes.
- ^ "Stars and their lowest paycheck". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Chokher Bali (2003) – Review, Star Cast, News, Photos". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ Technologies, QSOL. "Tota Roy Choudhury | Official Website of Bengali Actor". totaroychoudhury.com. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "What is Tota Roy Chowdhury doing in Vidya Balan's Kahaani 2?". Hindustan Times.
- ^ "Bengali actor Tota Roy Chowdhury in Madhur Bhandarkar's next". The Indian Express.
- ^ a b "Tota Roy Choudhury: Feluda will start his 'Bhuswargo Bhoyonkawr' shooting from January". The Times of India. 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Tota makes a comeback after 15 years on telly". The Times of India.
- ^ "I am taking baby steps in Bollywood: Tota Roy Chowdhury". India Blooms.
- ^ "Swastika Mukherjee-Tota Roy Choudhury starrer 'Nikhoj' to premiere next month". The Times of India. 13 July 2023.