He was beautiful in his youth. Watch him in Apur Sansar or Debi or Aranyer Dinratri or Teen Bhuvaner Paarey and you would be convinced why women would go crazy for him. Yes, Uttam Kumar was the Nayak, but Soumitra Chatterjee was no less. Let's not get into the debate of who was a better actor in the 70s because for every Uttam fan, you will find a Soumitra follower.
What's fascinating is the way Soumitra settled into the elderly roles. Make no mistake, he had no smaller an image than Bachchan in Bengal. Come on, he was Feluda, for Kali's sake. But Uttoran onwards, he was a character and no longer the Charminar-smoking sleuth. Paromitar Ek Din, Sanjhbaatir Rupkathara, Aabar Aranye... Soumitra was as good as the old man as he was as the matinee hero. And just to let the rest of the country know, last year, his turn in Podokhhep won him the National Award for Best Actor.
Just watch him here in a commercial he has done recently for Thums Up and let it load and play till he says "Ebaar jombe moja!" Watch those eyes twinkle, watch that smile engulf his face, watch that slow transformation of the body language... few actors around the world can recall years of experience and translate it at will in a few nano seconds. Soumitra can do that and like Bachchan, he deserves roles written for him. I can tell you I am writing one, with him in mind. And man, I am going to make it!
