JUST A KISS

CHINTAN RACHCHH of Class fame chats with TANZIM PARDIWALLA about his breakout high school drama, kissing boys on screen and more

-  TANZIM PARDIWALLA

Few shows have garnered buzz the way the wildly popular Class, a Delhi-set crime thriller drama did. The Ashim Ahluwalia series adapted from the Spanish-language show Elite is populated largely by debutantes, newcomers whose names audiences would soon learn. Poet, model and actor Chintan Rachchh quickly became a fan favourite within days of the show’s release. With his first outing, he had already done a lot of heavy lifting which included landing a scene-stealing same-sex kiss.

Recalling his initiation into acting, the Rajkot born actor digs into his childhood memories. “I was a nerdy kid and a borderline introvert, going into the ambivert zone. But I used to host assemblies for my school. In a setting of a few people I was shy but whenever I went on stage, I always felt good. So I realised the stage is where I can actually express myself.” He also participated in the children’s edition of KBC as a kid and recalls meeting Amitabh Bachchan as the high point of the experience.

Chintan’s journey towards baring it all for the small screen hasn’t been easy. At one point, he almost gave it all up and went to engineering school in Karnataka. After studying there for a month, he realised he can’t pursue acting with an engineering career. “I went back home to Rajkot and told my dad that I can't do engineering. I want to be an actor. That was an R. Madhavan from 3 Idiots moment for me”