Bengali film superstar and TMC MP Deepak Adhikari, better known by his stage name Dev, on Sunday asserted that professional actors should not take into account their political ideologies when collaborating with others from the field who may bear allegiance to a rival camp.

Talking to PTI on Sunday, Dev, whose latest outing 'Projapoti' (Butterfly) also features veteran actor and senior BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty, underlined that "politics should never come in the way of personal ties".

"In our upcoming film, I and Mithun da enact the roles of son and father respectively. Both of us are big names in our party. Both of us are respected by our parties. Politics has its own place, and creative work its own. One should not affect the other," Dev explained.

Stressing that his "political identity remains intact", no matter which film he does and with whom, the 'Chander Pahar' actor said, "I also don't let my personal relations get affected. When my name was announced as a candidate for Ghatal, I had showed courtesy and respect to all, including my political opponents. I had touched the feet of the Left candidate. I never showed disrespect to anyone."?

Politics must not divide people, it should rather build bridges, Dev stated. The 39-year-old actor said Chakraborty had always showered him with affection. "He had asked me to narrate the story of 'Projapoti' in just two lines, patted me on the back on hearing it, and said he will do the film. We have fond memories together," Dev, who co-produced the film, said.

He insisted that grassroots political workers, too, should not harbour feelings of animosity for one another. "Two persons may belong to rival political parties but they need not be sworn enemies," he added.

(With PTI inputs)