Alec Baldwin is mischievous: Samrat

Samrat Chakrabarti talks about his experience of shooting the American television show, titled ���������30 Rock���������, with Alec Baldwin and working with Irrfan in ���������In Treatment��������� that���������ll be premiering soon.
How was your experience of working on the Emmy Award-winning American TV show, ���������30 Rock���������, with the legendary Alec Baldwin?
Many TV shows that I���������ve worked on before have been very machine-like.They usually tell you where to stand. You do your job and, then, they quickly move on. What was great about ���������30 Rock���������, was that director Don Scardino and his team made a cool creative environment for the actors. As a result, it felt more like a playground for creative discovery. Alec Baldwin is an incredibly giving and spontaneous actor. He is slightly mischievous and playful ��������� which was refreshing.
I was also given permission to play and improvise with him. It was almost like doing theatre. Extremely alive. There was one scene when Alec Baldwin had to exit the scene holding a microwave in his hands. During the take, he just started to walk out in slow motion (almost like a clown). When the director called cut, we all burst out laughing. It was priceless. Alec is a true modern-day jester. He has a childlike quality in a somewhat intimidating presence. He is Shakespearean in a way.
How easy or difficult is it to perform the first scene when you are acting opposite big names?
It���������s all about focus. There is a split second of thinking: ���������Wow! This big-named, familiar-faced actor is in front of me���������. But when you���������re focussed on your job, and go through a rehearsal or two with them, you feel comfortable. In this last few years, I���������ve been very lucky to play opposite of Hollywood actors like Alec Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Radha Mitchell, Ted Danson and Jason Schwartzman.
You���������ve also acted in the Season 3 of ���������In Treatment��������� with Irrfan. How was the experience of shooting this series where you play a Bengali character?
���������In Treatment��������� has been my favourite TV show to shoot so far in my career. Specifically, because the producers paid tremendous attention to detail and authenticity. Writer Adam Rapp���������s dialogue is intelligent and yet very real. They even had a Jhumpa Lahiri on as a consultant for specificity of the Bengali parts. Paris Barclay, our director, was tender when he directed the emotionally layered scenes. Filming long takes with Gabriel Byrne and Irrfan was thrilling. It���������s a very intimate setting (the whole show takes place in a therapist���������s room). So, when all the elements came together, it felt like a pot of boiling water slowly simmering. The experience was a gift.
You are one of the most prolific Indian American actors with a spate of releases in October-November. Two films of yours ��������� ���������The Waiting City��������� starring Radha Mitchell and ���������Ashes��������� ��������� will premiere on the same date at MIAAC. How heady is this whole experience?
It���������s an extremely exciting time, because I play two very different roles in two films that are having their New York release on the same date. Ajay Naidu���������s ���������Ashes��������� is a very gritty film showcasing a side of Indian American culture in a way that it has never been seen before. I play the role of a dangerous gangster named Rishi, who shows the darker sides of the underworld in the streets of New York. In Claire McCarthy���������s ���������The Waiting City���������, I play Krishna, an earnest sometime comic, working class hotel boy in Kolkata, who helps an Australian couple rediscover who they are. I gave both Krishna and Rishi two extremely different looks and body posture. The fact that they are premiering on the same night is a testament to the diverse and strong programming of MIAAC. I feel very honoured to have films premiering at MIAAC, this year.
Are you going to Rome for the screening of ���������Gangor���������? What���������s the biggest takeaway for you from ���������Gangor���������?
Yes. It���������s a heavy drama that deals with very poignant issues concerning the modern world and its relationship to the tribal society. Director Italo Spinelli was amazing to work with because of his relentless passion. One of the biggest highlights for me during the shoot was meeting Mahashweta Devi (the author of the story). She is a true force of nature: A very active activist, a sensitive and compelling writer. We spent a few afternoons with her ��������� hearing her views, visions, and life experience. It was inspirational. I am happy that ���������Gangor��������� will be getting some global visibility at such a prestigious film festival. I am also excited to walk the red carpet in Rome with some Hollywood actors like Julianne Moore, Eva Mendes and Keira Knightley.
Any other film project to look out for?
There is another film called ���������Walkaway��������� that is releasing nationwide in the US on October 29. It is a fun ensemble dramedy about four guys from India and where each of them is, in their lives, in terms of relationships. One is single, one is actively dating, one has been married for about a year, and I play Shridhar, who comes from a strict Tamil Brahmin family but is engaged to a Caucasian French woman. People are comparing it to a South Asian male version of ���������Sex and the City���������. It���������s got a fantastic soundtrack including music from Vishal Shekhar, Ram Sampath, and Sagar Desai. We shot this film in New York and I got to work with some of my friends who are also South Asian actors. It was great fun. It���������s a film about friends in New York, made with friends in New York. It also nicely blends an American independent film-making style with a Bollywood sensibility.
For an Indian actor wanting to explore work on a global platform, would you say that shifting base to New York is a judicious decision now? Or do you think that good actors get cast even if they decide to live in a pocket since connectivity is no longer about traversing physical distances?
I love living in New York because it���������s continuously bubbling with creative energy. It���������s also geographically a great place to be, because it���������s convenient to travel to LA, UK, or Mumbai for work. In today���������s world wide web, a lot of people are casting off the Internet. In fact, I put auditions online from New York and got the lead roles in ���������The Waiting City��������� (an Australian production that shot in India) and ���������Kissing Cousins��������� (an independent film that shot in LA).
In this industry, you must play to your forte while continuing to keep pushing boundaries. There is a lot of self-acceptance. Yes, I am Indian. Yes, I am American on certain levels by the mere fact of how much time I have spent here. But the real truth is I am both and beyond. I think where the world is and is heading, we are all becoming true global citizens.
Follow us on Twitter for more stories