The Unconventional Journey of Filmmaker Tony Roy Chowdhury

Filmmaking began with advertising; to date, he has produced 700–800 ad films. "My learning platform was provided by advertising." In filmmaking, learning new things all the time is crucial. Cinema cannot be taught; it must be learned.

When Roy Chowdhury debuted with Anuranan, he was rewarded with a National Award; however, because he was a trailblazer in terms of concept and execution, he was never without detractors. People questioned me, "Montage-r upor film banabe?," when I announced that I intended to create Anuranan. Nobody could have predicted that a movie about two people chatting on a computer would hold the attention of viewers for two hours, as was the case with Antaheen. Even after I told many people Pink's story, they all asked, "Botal sar pe tod diya toh kya hua?" Where's the fight at? However, I stayed true to my convictions," he says.

PRIZES AND ACCEPTANCE

Even though some of his films haven't done well at the box office, the director's confidence in his ideas and abilities has paid off handsomely. "I don't check the outcome. I just find the process enjoyable. In addition to receiving numerous other honors, his films have taken home seven or eight National Awards. The esteemed Aravindan Puraskaram from Kerala for Anuranan, which is awarded to a new director and bears the name of the filmmaker G. Aravindan, is another accolade that he regards as exceptional.

His highly acclaimed Bollywood film Pink, starring Amitabh Bachchan

The audience has shown just as much love and gratitude.Following Pink, a woman knocked on my door, demanding to know Ankit's (Vijay Varma) number so she could hit him. When I first met Vijay a few months ago at IIFA, he told me, "Tonyda, you started all this," referring to his successful run of negative roles. "At a party in Mumbai, two young girls came up to me and said, 'Thank you for making Pink,'" he continues.

Roy Chowdhury, who is set to produce two films in the same year, is a first for the industry. He is currently working on a Bangla film and a Hindi film. His next Hindi film, Kadak Singh, starring the enviable cast of Pankaj Tripathi, Parvathy, Jaya Ahsan, and Sanjana Sanghi, will soon be available to stream on Zee5. Lost was released in February. The director, though, thinks that this is more of an exception than a generalization.

"To me, every movie is like a baby." Regardless of the outcome of my films, I must continue to make them. I take things slowly. I do not wish to fall prey to the market. "I don't aspire to make fifty films," he declares. He uses one of his favorite lines from Amar Akbar Anthony by Manmohan Desai to explain his working method. "Tumne mujhe bahut maara," says Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan) to Amar (Vinod Khanna) in the movie. Isn't that pretty solid, Maine, sirf do maara? Tonyda grinned, "I also think that in life, less is more.

As we sit here at The Tollygunge Club, which has become an indispensable part of both his personal and professional identity as a filmmaker over the years, he says this. This is where I'm from again. On his "cheat day," he digs into the Tolly Club's famous Chicken Roast while grinning, "I actually live between Bombay and Tolly Club." He tells us that one day he hopes to direct a Malayalam movie, citing the profound influence that state's cinema has had on him. Between mouthfuls, he firmly declares, "I will definitely do it, even though it may take some time." I then give him a little space to allow that thought to "marinate" in him.

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