We all know him for his performance oriented role of Mikhail in Kaminey. This actor has travelled a path that many aspiring actors would think twice before walking on.
IBNMovies chats with Chandan Roy Sanyal who has just returned from a month long shoot. His next flick is produced by Hema Malini in which he is paired opposite Esha Deol.
How is life treating you post your successful debut in Kaminey? It was a long wait for you to get a break in films...
Life has been very kind to me. I can’t be complaining for a sole reason. You know, so many of my friends who were aspiring artistes have left Mumbai and gone back to their small towns, raising kids and counting a monthly salary. I had belief in myself to follow my dreams and kept surging ahead. It is like a dream come true that a guy of small stature with small built could make it big in his debut.
How did you feel when you first found out that you were nominated in the Most Promising Newcomer category at an award function?
It was dream come true. The very fact that I was nominated for a main popular category of a promising newcomer made me breathless; it was maddening. It made me realise that I have been accepted as a popular actor by everyone. A newcomer cannot hope for a better start in the Hindi film industry than this. But somewhere, I had told myself that I have to get nominated before the age of 30 – like Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino did at the age of 31.
In spite of Kaminey having a successful run at the box office, it did not win many awards. Were you disappointed?
Yeah! True, I was very disappointed when I found out that Kaminey did not win any awards. But its OK, some win, some lose, and we lost. But yes, that was my first awards night ever and I was beaming like a school kid. But I was disappointed and heartbroken on every announcement when Kaminey did not win any awards. In fact, I was stopped at the main gate by the security because they did not believe that I had been nominated. To my bad luck, I was not carrying my driving licence and was entering from the VIP gate. I was told to take the other gate. It was unbelievable, sitting with the biggest stars of the industry. I felt like a rock star.
How difficult was it for you to find work? It is a known fact that the journey to stardom is difficult if one is not from the film industry.
Well, like any other artiste in history, one has to go through the cycle of penury to penny, so did I. Hailing from Delhi with no connections in Mumbai so as to say, I came with 7,000 thousand bucks which got over in 15 days and then I don’t know what kept me going for all these years in Mumbai. I worked as a production runner in theatre, did home tuitions, taught at a private college, sold newspapers, worked as a salesperson wearing the costume of an oil company - I have done it all. It was very embarrassing to do it, but when I look back, I see myself as a fighter who fought it all to get where I have reached now.
Did doing plays mould you as an actor?
Theatre has its benefits and pitfalls. The benefits are that it does mould you as an actor, like western actors who went to different drama schools...Al Pacino or Cate Blanchett or Catherine Zeta Jones. They have all undergone intensive training as actors. And so if I can say I am a trained actor, then yeah, theatre groomed me for years. But, in our films theatre actors are someone to fill the gap between a so-called hero and heroine. So, for me it was impossible to enter the mainstream as a hero. But now, I am playing the lead in some films. I had someone like Vishal Bhardwaj who picked me for Kaminey to guide me.
You have also travelled abroad for Shakespeare plays...
Yeah, I have travelled as a Shakespeare actor all over the world and have performed in prestigious festivals abroad - Startford, Adelaide, Toronto, San Francisco and have stepped on stage where people like Marlon Brando have performed. But this fact is hidden form the Indian audience as theatre is not treated that well in our country. But I am a prime example of someone graduating from theatre to mainstream Hindi cinema. I feel good about it, as it makes me feel that times are changing. I have met so many western actors during my stint with the Royal Shakespeare company. So, I have become mature and have learnt and imbibed western culture and acting like Raja Ram Mohan Roy or Michael Madhusudan Dutta imbibed western philosophy. I travelled to the Vatican and places like that or to this place called Lido Beach where the Cannes Film Fest happens. I am proud of that journey which led to my metamorphosis.
How is the shooting of Tell Me Oh Khuda progressing? You are playing a lead hero in that film.
Tell Me Oh Khuda is an important film for me. It has given me the status of a lead actor in Hindi films where I am supposed to be one of the most important people on the set, where people listen and pay attention to my whims and fancies. I fly business class now, live in luxury hotels (thanks to Hemaji). So I think that’s an important achievement for me, from being a junior artiste in few Hindi films to being a lead actor. But I always make sure that I call people by their names on set and I don’t have an assistant to hold an umbrella. It was Hemaji who gave Shah Rukh Khan Dil Ashana Hai and I am also doing my first film as the lead for her. She might be lucky for me. This film will always be close to me.
Were you or Esha Deol or any other cast member injured while filming the action sequence?
Action scenes gave us bruises. I twisted my ankle, Esha got bruised. It was fun but painful.
Tell us something about your co-star Esha Deol. How was it working with her?
Esha Deol is the most misunderstood person on this planet. After I met her and now that we are very good friends, I have found that she is an amazing human being. She is very caring for her co-actors and technicians. She is an important part of my acting journey at this juncture.
What are your upcoming projects? Any particular director that you want to work with?
There are no films apart from Tell Me Oh Khuda. I don’t know why, but I'm waiting for the right one. I want to work with Vishal Bhardwaj again, and Sriram Raghavan,,Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Ashutosh Gowariker, Dibaker Banerjee, Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Anurag Basu and Aparna Sen.
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