Bengali superstar Prosenjit meets WB CM, dismisses BJP entry buzz after Shah visit

Kolkata, Jul 9 (PTI) Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee on Thursday met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat 'Nabanna' for nearly two hours and maintained that politics did not figure in their discussions, amid speculation over his possible entry into the BJP. The high-profile meeting assumed political significance as it came barely three days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the actor's south Kolkata residence, triggering speculation over whether one of Bengal's biggest cultural icons was preparing for a political innings. Emerging from 'Nabanna' after the meeting, Prosenjit sought to put the speculation to rest. "We had coffee and chatted for a while. There was no discussion on politics. A lot of speculation is doing the rounds outside, but most of it is not true," the actor told reporters. He said the meeting focused on issues concerning the Bengali film industry, including measures for its development, preparations for commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of legendary actor Uttam Kumar, and a few personal matters. "Our industry needs many things. We discussed the development of the Bengali film industry and plans to appropriately honour Uttam Kumar. I have said this before -- if I ever decide to join politics, the media will be the first to know," he said. Referring to Shah's visit to his residence on Monday, Prosenjit described it as a brief courtesy call. "Everyone knows he had come for barely 10-15 minutes. I have been working for 40 years. There are certain issues concerning me and my team. Following protocol, I came to apprise the chief minister about those matters and place certain requests before him," he said. The actor's remarks come amid heightened political speculation ahead of the July 24 bypolls to three Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal, necessitated by the resignations of former Trinamool Congress MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik. With the BJP expected to secure all three seats following the dramatic political realignment in the state after the assembly elections, political circles have been speculating that the party could nominate a prominent cultural personality such as Prosenjit to the Upper House. The veteran actor's back-to-back interactions with the BJP's top leadership and the chief minister within the same week have fuelled political chatter in a state where the film industry has often intersected with politics. Prosenjit, however, maintained that his engagement with governments was driven solely by the interests of the Bengali film industry and not by political considerations. Awarded the Padma Shri earlier this year, the actor has been an influential voice on issues concerning the Bengali film industry but has consistently stayed away from active politics despite periodic speculation over the years. After the BJP formed the government in West Bengal, Prosenjit was among the prominent personalities present at Adhikari's swearing-in ceremony on May 9, further adding to the political curiosity surrounding his public engagements. Shah's visit to the actor's residence on Monday, accompanied by Adhikari and senior BJP leaders Nishith Pramanik and Locket Chatterjee, had further fuelled speculation over Prosenjit's political future, with some political observers viewing it as a possible precursor to a larger public role. Thursday's meeting with the chief minister, however, appeared aimed at drawing a clear line between political speculation and his interactions with those in government. As the political narrative gathered momentum around his recent meetings, Prosenjit repeatedly stressed that he was willing to engage with any government for the welfare of the Bengali film industry, but should not be viewed through a political prism. Meanwhile, former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan, the MP from Berhampore, and Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy also met the chief minister separately during the day. Both are now with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), formed after a bloc of 20 of the Trinamool Congress's 28 Lok Sabha MPs broke away, merged with the newly floated outfit and extended support to the BJP-led NDA. PTI BSM PNT NN