Munnabhai MBBS actor Abhijit Lahiri enjoys his stay in hometown Kolkata

It's not unknown that Kolkata is home to many Bollywood actors. And when they visit the city, they can't help but gush about their place of birth. Actor Abhijit Lahiri, who was seen in films like Munnabhai MBBS,

Talvar

, Pari, Aami Subhas Bolchi and most recently worked in Bell Bottoms, is happy to be back in Kolkata for a five-day workshop.



"I am whole-heartedly Bengali. Even after staying away from Kolkata for around 36 years, I don't have an accent while speaking Bengali. I am proud of that fact. Neither have I forgotten my mother tongue, nor have I outgrown my love for Tagore, Kabi Sukanta and the art of Bengali recitation. I am teaching young people the value of these things at my workshop," said Abhijit, who was also seen in popular TV shows like

Balika Vadhu

and

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai

.

The veteran actor has made a name for himself in Bollywood due to sheer hard work. Yet, rumours of him wanting to leave Mumbai and try his luck in Kolkata disappoint him. When asked whether he would like to act in Bengali films, Abhijit said, "By mistake, once I had just expressed my desire to act in Bengali films. And why not? It's my mother tongue. It pains me to realise till date I haven't acted in a Bengali film shot in Kolkata. But people started making wild guesses about how I was not doing well in Mumbai and wanted to come back to Kolkata. But that's not the case."

He had acted in two Bengali films, Ami Subhas Bolchi directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and Ora Kara, but both were made in Mumbai. "I enjoyed doing them but never got the taste of working in Kolkata for a Bengali film. Ora Kara was also made in Hindi and was called Hum Kaun Hai. It starred Abhitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Dimple Kapadia and me," Abhijit said.



The actor, who is born and brought up in Agarpara in Kolkata, made his journey outside the city after his school years. "I had to leave Kolkata because I got through NSD. After that, I did return to do theatre in Kolkata. But my theatre group lost a lot of money in between. This was the 1980s. Then I worked in jatra for five years. When I won the best actor there, I realised I was drifting away from my first love, theatre. I went back to Delhi and worked in

National School of Drama

repertoire. From there, Bollywood happened and there was no looking back," Abhijit shared.