Chandan Roy Sanyal has been a theatre actor and a teacher before finding his feet as a Hindi film actor. He led a harsh life in Mumbai before striking it rich, depending upon the kindness of others to make ends meet. He did a small role in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti (2006), before gaining name and fame with Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey (2009), where his role as the deranged Mikhail was much appreciated. Of late, he was appreciated for his negative role in the hit series Aashram. In a bare-all interview, the actor comes clean about his struggles and more…
If you got the chance, what would you tell a young Chandan from 20 years ago today?
Actually, I would like to go back to when I was 24 years old, when I got the biggest opportunity of my life to perform for the Royal Shakespeare Company. I would tell that young Chandan to be carefree and relentless, to get rid of all baggage, and not to think beyond the present day. In fact, in my head, I am always trying to go back to that time.
You have a wistful longing to go back to the past. Does the baggage get you down a lot?
Looking at the past, I wouldn’t like to say that I was living in the dark and feeling like an unwanted child of God. Today I would say how beautiful it all was, and that’s the journey that an artiste must have.
Was theatre a healer for you?
Yes! Having Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, and Jeremy Irons in the audience at some point to watch my performance was a great feeling. In fact I even had a drink with Dame Judi. There was this little pub where all the actors would go and get drunk at night and just hang. When I ask people why they want to become actors, the reply is that they have a passion for the craft and want to prove themselves. But theatre teaches you much more than acting. It teaches you how to live your life with grace. I strongly feel that in schools they should have acting classes. It will teach children the craft and also how to live their lives, how to live together and how to share. The stage is all about that. Caring for and looking out for each other to nurture each other to lift the scene, not how to overshadow the co-actor.
You are said to be rather choosy. Is that true?
It’s true. There’s an animal inside me who is hungry and he only likes to eat what is nutritious and wants a diet that will calm his soul. I don’t want to eat anything and everything. But I do accept a lot of work now, especially on online platforms where there are a lot of opportunities. In fact, I did a lot of work this year.
When did theatre tell the physics and science professor that there’s an actor within and that was his calling?
I belong to a Bengali family, and we grew up listening to Rabindra Sangeet and watching Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, and Ashok Kumar films. As a kid, I used to perform at Durga Puja events and school functions. I had a knack for acting, which is considered more of a hobby when you are a child, but the moment you choose it as a profession, everyone has a problem. Also, I came from a space where my parents could not provide much because of circumstances. So I started reading a lot when I was around 16. That’s when I got this whole idea of existentialism, and when I started reading Shakespeare and Jean-Paul Sartre, it diverted me to the stage. I remember doing a play with Habib Tanvir. When I went on stage, I felt everybody’s eyes on me. But as soon as I went back into the darkness, some metamorphosis took place in me, and I knew that this was what I wanted to do. For the first time, I found a ground, an anchor, and it gave me some importance in life. I found my personality. That’s why acting is special to me.
If you could revisit your life, what are the things you wouldn’t do, and what would you do again?
One thing I would change is taking up chemistry honours in college because of my parents and family’s insistence. I should have taken up Hindi honours, and that too at St. Stephens College, one of the best colleges in India. I was good at Hindi, and if
I had done Hindi literature, I could have read and watched Hindi plays. But then I realised that if I hadn’t done chemistry, I couldn’t have earned a living in Mumbai as a teacher.
You have struggled a lot. How did you handle the stress during those days?
Like I said, acting was a healer for me. Then there were people like the watchman who would let me stay in the vacant flat and a girl, Rebecca Mendonsa, who I met at a bus stop. She would give me food and let me wash my clothes in her washing machine. These noble and gentle souls helped me through this journey. More than a struggle, it was learning about life. I also remember being caught travelling without a ticket at a Mumbai local station and made to do sit-ups holding my ears. Once, I also picked up a 50-rupee note, debating whether I should keep it or not, but then gave it back to the stage manager. Nothing comes easy in life, and I was prepared for the hardships.
How did you keep that honesty and sincerity intact with so much anxiety in your life.
I was just blessed and something good always used to happen. I was also teaching and earning 2000 rupees a month. 700 was my house rent, and I used to save some money to watch a film. I don’t know how I did it, but I used to enjoy every moment during that time.
You are so calm and down to earth; does it affect you when you play, say, an evil guy in Aashram?
There are many ways of looking at it. I feel there is nothing like method acting, as there is no method to this madness. I follow two writers, David Mamet and Bertolt Brecht. There are a lot of alienation techniques in Brecht. In this technique, there’s a constant disconnect with the characters you play. And David Mamet also says that the audience knows that it’s an actor playing a character. I find it funny when people say that it took them a while to come out of a character. I am not making fun of them, as it does happen at times when you go too far inside a character. But for me, it’s touch and go. I follow Tim Supple’s mantra, which is to keep it fresh. I don’t overthink and I don’t decide anything. I’m ready to make mistakes and fall on my face. That needs a lot of courage—not to think about anything and just walk into a scene.
Is it a coincidence that you have done so much Shakespeare and have actually worked with Vishal Bhardwaj, a filmmaker who has adapted Shakespeare a lot?
There is a programme for everyone and I am part of that programme created by the divine. I remember doing the play Shakespeare in America at that time and travelling. Honey Trehan, the casting director, called me and told me that I had been selected for Kaminey. I had done an audition for the film some time ago and forgot about it. I got the opportunity to work with a filmmaker like Vishal Bhardwaj on my first film, and that too was a special one like Kaminey.
What did you learn from Vishal Bhardwaj?
For Vishalji, rhythm is quite important. I remember doing this one scene where Amol Gupte killed me. I had to get the rhythm right. For a month I used to rehearse the scene. It was a hit because even today, if I go anywhere, people go shout out, “Tope Bhau”.
Did he give you the blowdryer treatment?
Yes, he scolded me several times. In one scene, I was standing with Charlie (Shahid Kapoor), and it was raining. Somehow
I thought the scene was over, so I stopped. What a scolding I got. Vishalji said he started the camera for me, and he would tell me when to stop. ‘How dare you stop?’ he yelled. But I learned a lot from him. As a filmmaker, he’s so good with his actors, designs, costumes, music, and characterisation. It’s a delight for an actor to do their first film with him.
Two movies you wish you were a part of...
I would love to do the 1975 crime drama Dog Day Afternoon, which starred the legendary actor Al Pacino. I would give anything to play something as robust as that character. I would also have liked to be part of a film like Maqbool and play a deep, dark character.
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