Chandan Roy Sanyal says he was sure he would be judged harshly in 'Ray'

Actor Chandan Roy Sanyal's role in the recent anthology 'Ray' was well-appreciated by the audience. The actor was unrecognisable as Roby Ghosh in the part 'Spotlight' of the web series.

Talking about his character, Chandan told IANS: "I think I was always unrecognisable and in my occupation, it works in my favour. It gives me a clean slate to draw a portrayal from scratch. I was sure I would be judged too harshly, but luckily I realised I feared for nothing. People liked what I tried to do thanks to Harshvardhan, Vasan Bala, Netflix, the casting director and everyone who was involved with it."

The actor shares that being a Bengali, it was exciting to be part of Satyajit Ray's adaptation 'Ray' in the year that celebrates 100 years of his birth.

"I have been following his work since my childhood and all through my life. Only when I started acting and I got very involved in cinema and theatre I started understanding his work. Recently I saw his film called 'Kaapurush' (The Coward) which is based in the 70s. I saw it with very different eyes the second time - the composition, the character, the photography, the acting, the music, the texture, the location, everything was so avant-garde. If you watch films of the legends of quality cinema such as Kurosawa and Goddard and then you watch his films, you realise the degree of excellence is the same," he told IANS.

Chandan made his acting debut with 'Rang de Basanti' in 2006 in a minor role. Later, he received critical acclaim for his character Mikhail in 'Kaminey'. He has been working in Bengali films right from his debut in 'Mahanagar@Kolkata'.

Talking further about Ray's films, he said: "About Satyajit Ray, I think everything fascinates me - his storytelling, his screenplay, how he handles his actors, music, photography, editing, costume, location and sets among other things. Imagine making a war film about two people sitting in a room like 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi'. With his films, he has dealt with all kinds of genres - romance, drama, musical, comedy, social synthesis of the society, etc. He was a complete filmmaker. He had so much to say and he said it over the years without getting bogged down by commerce or society. He was a true artist."

Chandan has been in the film industry for around two decades and had quite a roller coaster journey. "20 years have been riddled with ups and downs. It has been a long journey. The actual exercise hasn't started and so this has been a warm-up. My success was hot and cold. I don't think I have achieved enough. Now that I'm free of a few constraints I'll pursue my passion with even more strength," said Chandan.

The actor has been featured in six web series, with pivotal roles in 'Aashram', 'Bhram' and 'Ray'.

"I'm enjoying the limelight that it has got me. People have started recognising my talent. Here I get calls for bigger parts, bigger roles," signed off Chandan.