Bangladeshi actor Chanchal Chowdhury continues to command admiration on both sides of the border. Despite not appearing frequently in Tollywood, his popularity in West Bengal remains as strong as in his home country.
On August 31, he was recognised at the fifth Bengal International Excellence Award and the second Kolkata Ratna Samman, held at a Kolkata hotel. Chanchal was honoured with the accolade for his remarkable contributions to acting.
The event, organised by Ad-Mrin Entertainment, celebrated achievers from cinema, music and sports across West Bengal and beyond. Fellow honourees included Rituparna Sengupta, Laboni Sarkar, Abir Chatterjee, Kaushik Banerjee, Surajit Bandopadhyay, Lagnajita, Anik Dhar, filmmaker Gautam Ghosh and footballer Dipendu Biswas.
Chanchal received his award from Bollywood actress Mandakini and later entertained the audience by singing the popular song ‘Shada Shada Kala Kala’ after repeated requests.
“Singing isn’t my profession,” he admitted with a smile. “I always feel shy when asked to perform on stage, but the audience’s love encouraged me.”
Speaking to the press after the ceremony, the actor reflected on the honour, “Awards like these fuel one’s passion and sense of responsibility. For an artiste, the greatest reward is the audience’s love, and I hope they continue to enjoy my work.”
Looking ahead, Chanchal revealed that his upcoming projects are focused on films in both Bangladesh and Kolkata. Over the next six to seven months, he is set to work on four to five new projects, including Shekor, his second collaboration with Bratya Basu, based on two short stories by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay.
Shooting is expected to begin next month. He is also in discussions to star in Amitabh Bhattacharjee’s Tridhara, alongside Rituparna Sengupta and Kaushik Ganguly.
