Chandan Roy Sanyal
Chandan Roy Sanyal who made his debut with Rang De Basanti, shot to fame and was well appreciated for his role, Mikhail in the blockbuster movie Kaminey. Chandan speaks his heart out to GR8! Giving his views on TV, his stint on TV and lots more in this exclusive interview…
Tell us about your stint on TV while promoting your movies?
Chandan: It was quite a special experience as I had never danced on stage and never interacted directly with the audience, so it certainly was good.
Many Bollywood actors are seen on TV, if given a chance would you like to feature on TV?
Chandan: Television has become a very popular as well as a very powerful medium. The reach of TV is amazingly great and thus everyone wants to be a part of it. Well, if anything interesting comes my way then certainly I would think about it.
What would you like to do the most, host, judge or participate in a reality show?
Chandan: Well, I would prefer hosting or judging rather than participating in a reality show.
Is there any particular genre of show that you would prefer?
Chandan: Yes, there are two genres that I have a special preference for, that is cooking and traveling. I love both of them and I really would love to be a part of any show that is related to either of them.
If you get a good script, will you be comfortable doing a TV serial?
Chandan: Very frankly, No. As a kid I have seen the old serials like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, etc. and the most brilliant league of actors like Satish Shah, Rakesh Bedi, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, amongst many others were an integral part of TV. So, I really respect the medium of television as well as the TV actors. But serials like these are no longer made and everyone is consumed with the saas- bahu sagas and I really can’t be a part of it.
What is the difference between TV and Bollywood?
Chandan: Well, in mathematical terms, there is an inverse proportion, that is the size of TV is small but its reach is enormous. Another major difference is that TV has a short span of memory unlike Cinema. There are really good actors on TV too but their performance and efforts aren’t noticed and many a times not even appreciated. For instance, when a person is watching TV, they are doing many other things along with it like eating, talking, working, chatting, etc. so the attention is diverted and the beauty of the performance goes unnoticed. Many a times people watch the serials because of the story, sometimes concept and sometimes because the actor is good looking but very rarely you listen people saying that they are watching it for an actor’s performance. Where as in movies, there is focus and the attention isn’t diverted unlike television. Many a times you remember an actor’s performance for years but this seldom happens on TV.
Are you a TV buff?
Chandan: Well, I do like to watch American TV series and I catch up on them when I get time.
Which shows do you watch regularly?
Chandan: Not many, as I don’t get the time to follow any show regularly. I like American shows like Family Guy, etc. then I like Jailed Abroad on National Geographic and I also like the History channel’s show on autobiographies. I also used to watch Kaun Banega Croerepati.
As a kid the shows that you never missed were?
Chandan: (Smiles) Giant Robot, it used come at five in the evening on Saturdays and He-Man it used to come at nine in the morning on Sundays. We all kids used to come together in one house in Karol Bagh and it used to be real fun. (Ahh! Get me those days back!)
The hottest TV personality according to you is…
Chandan: Simone Singh, she is so beautiful and elegant, I still remember her in A Mouthful of Sky.
The most adorable Bollywood Star on TV?
Chandan: Salman Khan, he is really cool in Dus Ka Dum.
Do you believe television in India has progressed over the years?
Chandan: Yes, of course it has progressed and with the commencement of so many channels and shows, TV will continue to progress. The technological aspect also has seen improvement.
What are the changes that you would want to bring on TV?
Chandan: We should get rid of the saas- bahu sagas and have the formats of TV series, episodics and season instead of prolonged sagas. Television too can have a quality of cinema but this technology still needs to be introduced on a larger scale though the HD format has commenced on TV.