Actor Chandrachur Singh on his comeback with Aarya

By Neeru Saluja

As soon as you hear the song ”˜Chapa Chapa Charkha Chale’, it takes you down to a memory lane when actor Chandrachur Singh made his fresh and memorable entry to films. His role in Gulzar’s ”˜Maachis’ not only won him the best debut Filmfare award but made him an overnight sensation.

He went on to act in ”˜Tere Mere Sapne’, Josh, Dil Kya Kare, Kya Kehna and Daag: The Fire, but then suddenly disappeared. Come 2020 and he makes a comeback with his recently released Disney Hotstar web series ”˜Aarya’ that is hitting the headlines as one of the most gripping and racy thrillers on Indian television.

Co-starring with Sushmita Sen, he plays the role of Tej Sareen, a doting father and a loving husband with a dark past. As we welcome him back after his hiatus, we get talking to him about his comeback, Aarya, working with Sushmita Sen and his passion for cooking.

Welcome back Chandrachur! What kept you away from films and how were you approached for Aarya?

I had personal responsibilities which was more important at that time and I was also waiting for the work coming my way to be something special. That came in the form of Aarya.

I was at Doon school in Dehradun for my son’s admission (where I studied and taught also) when I got a call from the director Ram Madhvani. I auditioned on WhatsApp and was excited to working with the director Ram. I have always appreciated his body of work. Also for the fact because Sushmita was making her comeback after many years.

Was it just a coincidence that Sushmita was also making her comeback and 19 years ago you both had to act in a film together?

Let me tell you something interesting. Coming to Mumbai to shoot the series, I met two air hostesses on the flight who wanted autographs. One of the girls was called Sushmita Sen. That was the moment when I knew Sushmita Sen has been signed as the lead for Aarya. We were to work together 19 years ago for a film that never saw the light at the end of the tunnel and here is Aarya.

You play Tej Sareen in Aarya, a multidimensional character who is a loving family man. We have been also hearing about the amazing team behind the show and how you worked together as a family.

As soon as I landed on the set, it radiated warmth and the crew felt like a family. There were no rehearsals, only takes and no cuts. The team was amazing, the trio of Sandeep Modi, Vinod Rawat, Ram, Vishwajeet Pradhan and so many other actors. I also got to connect to many crew members whom I knew from my struggling days.

You have acted with both the beauty queens ”“ Aishwarya and Sushmita. How was the experience?

Both are wonderful actors and human beings. It was joyous working with Aishwarya Rai in Josh and also with Sushmita in Aarya. Sushmita is a very warm, affectionate and caring person and an amazing actress. She brings life to the set.

How different was the process shooting for a web series versus a film? And how have these mediums changed for you?

For me, there was no difference. The way the director shot it was like a film, the only difference was the director had 250 hours of film that had to be condensed and edited.

The platform has changed. When I came in the industry I was lucky enough to get a break with Gulzar. It was the single theatre time, then came multiplex theatres and the television boom. I did a television series ”˜Royal Rasoi’ which was about going into royal households and taking their royal recipes. I love cooking and enjoyed this travel and food show. OTTs have now become an exciting platform, but it’s still like a film format.

Talking about cooking, tell us more about this passion and your signature dish.

I make a lot of non-vegetarian dishes and my son is very fond of my cooking. I also make lots of vegetarian dishes. My signature dish though is ”˜Laal maans’, a mutton curry from Rajasthan.

 

 

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