BANKING ON THEATRE

As his latest web series, Kankajhura, makes Chandan K Anand, a Delhi actor, a known face in Mumbai, the actor who has bagged roles in the Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War, says he owes it all to his days in theatre.

- AKASH CHATTERJEE

URING 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 Kankajhura 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.