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New Indian Express

Banking on Theatre

During my days in Act One, Panditji (NK Sharma) would say, 'What will you 'sell' after going to Mumbai? What special talent do you have to attract people? Do you know singing, dancing, or anything similar?' I knew what I could offer—it was acting,' says Chandan K Anand, who has been on a roll after his web-series Kankhajhura was streamed on SONYLiv this May. Anand plays the protagonist Ashu's (Roshan Mathew's) jailmate in the series. His upcoming projects are big. He has worked with directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Neeraj Ghaywan. 'As an actor, my job is to perform diverse roles. When I am picked up by directors like them, I feel that I am doing good work,' says the actor. Like every aspiring actor, Mumbai had a special appeal for Anand, and he did everything he could to land up there and be prepared for the city. 'After working with Delhi's Asmita Theatre Group, I went to Bhopal to meet the legendary Habib Tanvir. When I reached his home, I found that he had gone to London. I was shattered. After I came back to Delhi, I realised that there was only one person who could train me for Mumbai, and that person was NK Sharma of Act One. So, I decided to join him with a dream of making it in Mumbai,' he says. Theatre learnings Anand says his interest in the world of acting was sudden. 'It was the year 1997, when I saw the play Capitol Express by the present director of the National School of Drama, Chittaranjan Tripathy. It became a turning point in my life. I joined the dramatic society of my college but I was not completely satisfied with the work that I was doing. I wanted to do something big, and hence decided to join Asmita. This is where I learnt what it is to be on stage,' he says. At Asmita, Anand rose to prominence with the diverse roles he played—from Ghasiram Kotwal in the play Ghasiram Kotwal, Warren Hastings in the play Warren Hastings, BD Kapoor in Court Martial, and Javed in Final Solutions. It made him popular in the theatrical circles; each role taught him something. 'I was happy to see that my work was getting acknowledged. I learnt the basics of acting not only from my teachers but also from my co-actors. I learnt voice modulation and how to reach out to a larger audience when you do not have a microphone. I learnt how to pitch a monologue. These are the learnings that I carry with me while performing as an actor on the big screen,' he says. Although Asmita helped Anand become an actor, it was Act One that changed his perspective about acting. Anand joined the group after he could not make it to NSD due to a personal crisis. This is when he thought of NK Sharma. 'I knew that only this person could teach me about the world I was dreaming of. Sharma changed my perception about acting. I follow his technique of correlating my craft with my personal life. Today, my craft is inseparable from my own self, and that is because of what he taught,' he says. Mumbai days After seven years of theatre, Anand reached Mumbai in 2004 on NK Sharma's advice. 'I came to Mumbai with `1,600. I started to live with six people, all aspiring artists, in a one-room flat. Today, if I think of the decision rationally, I may not risk it. However, had I not taken the risk more than two decades back, I would not have been the person that I am today,' he says. The first work that Anand got was Meher, a daily soap produced by UTV and broadcast on Doordarshan in 2004. 'One of my flatmates was an assistant executive producer who asked me to audition for a UTV show. I went and I was selected. However, I refused to do it as I did not like the character. Later, the UTV casting team called me for Meher, and I cracked it. That was how my journey began.' In 2007, he acted in his first film—Kaafila, starring Sunny Deol. The actor is now working with directors like Bhansali and Ghaywan. 'When I came to Mumbai, I had a diary where I wrote the names of certain directors that I wanted to work with. Today, when I get a call from them, it feels like my dream is coming true. My hard work in theatre is paying off. That is my wealth from theatre. It has come in handy in the work I do in films today,' says Anand. When asked about his roles in Ghaywan's Homebound or Bhansali's Love & War, Anand says he cannot reveal details at this moment. 'However, both characters are interesting and impactful. I am glad to have got the roles and hope to work with directors like them in future,' he says.