Kolkata/IBNS: Late iconic Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh was like a "much-needed strict teacher in a school" whose "touch" the present generation actors may have missed, said Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee remembering his close friend on his death anniversary.

Prosenjit, who has worked with Rituparno in a number of films, made the remark at the trailer launch of Indraadip Dasgupta's upcoming film Grihapravesh, which is a tribute to the late filmmaker, starring Subhashree Ganguly and Jeetu Kamal in the lead.

"Ritu (Rituparno) was like the much-needed strict teacher in a school. I usually don't talk much about Ritu because my bonding with him was deeply personal. Our personal bonding was completely different from the terms I had with his director's self," Prosenjit said.

(From L to R) Kaushik Ganguly and Prosenjit Chatterjee. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

The 62-year-old actor, who often admits Rituparno brought a new phase in his career, worked with the director in Unishe April, Utsab, Chokher Bali, Dosar et al.

In an interactive session hosted by former journalist Indranil Roy, Prosenjit even shared how his terms with Rituparno blew hot and cold.

"There have been times when we didn't even talk to each other even when Ritu used to come to my place, talk to my wife, and wish for special dishes."

"After Gaaner Oparey (daily soap), I had made a film with Mimi (Mimi Chakraborty) and Arjun (Arjun Chakrabarty) when both of us (Prosenjit and Rituparno) were not in talking terms. But he had visited us to bless the then newcomers on request. He was like that. He was very different," the veteran, who had also collaborated with Rituparno as a producer, said.

(From L to R) Prosenjit Chatterjee and Subhashree Ganguly. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Prosenjit, who revealed how Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (then Aishwarya Rai) was stunned to see the professional bonding between the actor and director despite differences, feels the current generation, where most haven't worked with Rituparno, missed the icon's 'touch'.

"Our next generation actors like Jeetu, Abir (Abir Chatterjee), Subhashree are doing great but probably they have missed Rituparno Ghosh's touch which used to create a spark. It was in him."

On Grihapravesh, Prosenjit feels these sorts of films need to be backed to maintain the tradition for which the Bengali film circuit is known for.

Trailer launch event of Grihapravesh. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

"I think we need to promote Bengali films like Grihapravesh that earn us respect nationally and internationally. Even when other industries are leaning towards films with budgets going up to Rs. 1000 crore, we have to rely on our type of films for our tradition to survive," Prosenjit said.

"This is what a cinema looks like. Of course a lot of effort has been given, but the choice of story and subject has been perfect. Both Subhashree and Jeetu are looking great. The songs as well as the scenes are brilliant. This is a proper trailer of a Bengali film," he added after watching the trailer.

(Photos: Avishek Mitra/IBNS)