I was awestruck by Vishal Bhardwaj: Chandan Roy Sanyal

In an exclusive chat with Zeenews.com’s Sharique N Siddiquie , Chandan Roy Sanyal talks about working with Vishal Bhardwaj.

You have already seen him dancing to the tune of ‘Dhan Te Nan’ with Shahid Kapur. Now, theatre actor and director Chandan Roy Sanyal is all set for his big bollywood debut in Vishal Bhardwaj’s most awaited flick of the year ‘Kaminey’.

In an exclusive tête-à-tête with Zeenews.com’s Sharique N Siddiquie , Chandan Roy Sanyal talks about his role in the movie, working with Vishal Bhardwaj, dancing with Shahid Kapur and more. Here is the chat: Sharique Siddiquie : Tell us about your role in the movie ‘Kaminey’? Chandan Sanyal: I am playing the role of ‘Mikhail’ in the movie. Mikhail is a very interesting character. He is the youngest of the three Bangladeshi migrant brothers, who run a gambling business. They are very protective of him and that has turned him into a spoilt brat. He is like a mad horse, which runs so fast that people around him stop and watch him running. Though looks suggest otherwise, he is not a negative character. He is initially a nice person but a bit reckless. Sharique : How do you relate with the character of Mikhail? Was it easy to play such a volatile character? Chandan : Yes, I do relate with the character as he is unpredictable and fun loving like me. It was very difficult to play such a volatile character. I had to analyse a lot to understand his psyche. But it was fun playing such an impulsive character. The director Vishal Bhardwaj helped me a lot in bringing Mikhail to life and I am sure people would love this reckless character. Sharique : How was it working with Vishal Bhardwaj? Chandan : Working with Vishal Bhardwaj was like training in a school and learning one new this everyday. When I started working, I was awestruck by his persona and aura. He would say action and I would just stand still not knowing what to do. Since it was my first movie, I wanted to give my 100 percent and more, but Vishal Bhardwaj’s presence made me nervous. Things improved gradually as he is a fabulous director, who understands his actors very well. I must tell this. I am from Karol Bagh in Delhi. When ‘Omkrara’ released, my brother and I went to watch it. I liked it immensely. At that point of time, I had never thought I would work with him so early in my career. Sharique : You danced with Shahid Kapur in the song “Dhan Te Nan”. How was it working with him? Chandan : Dancing with Shahid Kapur was a memorable experience. I am not a trained dancer and Shahid is very good at dancing. He is like a top that can go on spinning 360 degrees. I am more like a kite in the wind when it comes to dancing, but it was a nice combination I must say, as people are liking the sequence and the song is already a hit. I am happy it turned out so well and people are appreciating my work which is very satisfying. Shahid is very nice guy and helped me a lot in the dance sequence. He is very supportive and encouraged me a lot. Sharique : Any memorable incident from the movie…. Chandan : Shooting for the movie was a lot of fun. There is one incident when I was shooting for the song sequence of the movie. Vishal and Rekha Bhardwaj came on the sets in the evening. Vishal Sir told me to show some of my freestyle moves. I started dancing and took out my shirt and threw it. Incidentally it fell on Rekha Ji. Sharique : Any particular role that you want to play in future? Chandan : I am a very funny and lively person and make people around me happy. I would like to do a comedy now as it suits my nature. Sharique : You are initially a theatre actor and director. How do you see the transformation from theatre to cinema? Chandan : Theatre was like a training ground for me. It taught me a lot. Cinema was the gradual progression. My efforts and hard work have started to pay. My ultimate aim is to become the best actor of India. Sharique : Tell us something about your future projects. Chandan : I am currently directing a play, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. There are movie offers also, but nothing has been finalised yet. I am taking things slowly.