BENGALURU: During the late ’80s, people looking to unwind after a long day switched on their TV sets and waited for Doordarshan’s Kannada broadcasting to begin. At 7pm sharp, all eyes were glued to Sihi Kahi which went onto become the first hit Kannada TV shows.
The sitcom’s success was such that protagonist Chandrashekar A has since been known as Sihi Kahi Chandru. An actor with over 450 films in his kitty, director of over 10,000 episodes of TV shows, Chandru has become a household name for his cooking shows. But the 61-year-old’s love for acting has remained strong.
This week, Chandru is returning to the stage, as Ranga Shankara prepares to host the popular play Kanta Matthu Kanta, which explores the reconciliation effort of two veteran actors and friends, who have separated over a difference of opinion. Written by Surendranath S, the play sees Chandru sharing the screen with his long-time friend and colleague Mukhyamantri Chandru, veteran Kannada
actor and the star of the acclaimed play Mukhyamantri.
Despite the intriguing premise, Sihi Kahi Chandra dismisses any connection between his real-life relationship with Mukhyamantri Chandru and the premise of the play. “Kanta Matthu Kanta has nothing to do with Chandru and Chandru. It is just about two actors, and their egos,” he shares. “Mukyamanthri Chandru and I have been close friends for four decades, and have had some great times working together. But together in theatre is a first. And since the stage requires a different kind of rapport with co-actors, compared to cinema, I feel our friendship has been strengthened.”
In a 40-year-long career in the film industry, Chandru has done a plethora of roles. Yet, he feels cinema hasn’t been able to give him the kind of creative satisfaction that theatre does. “While the number of films I have acted in is huge, the number of roles I liked is very few. Cinema has been my living and TV has given me fame, name and money. Theatre alone gives me creative satisfaction. Whatever play I’ve done has always been a challenge, pushing me to new boundaries,” he shares, adding that his roles in the play Nadu Rathriya Pulaka, and Nee Neenadre Na Neenena? are some of his favourites.
A prominent figure in the TV landscape, Chandru experienced success after foraying into food shows. But when the success started to overshadow his other endeavour, Chandru struggled with an identity crisis. “When I started my first cooking show, it became so popular that people forgot that I’m an actor. I was also overweight at that time, and I felt that it would only feed the stereotype of a fat cook or a foodie. So, I stopped the show, worked on myself and cut down 32 kg. But whatever I did, people didn’t forget the show, and would always talk of my cooking,” he says, adding that while he desired to be recognised for his acting skills, he eventually reconciled with the fact that people loved him for his cooking. “I decided I should continue doing what the people love about me. At the end of the day, it’s the affection and love that people give me that matters,” he adds.
Having shared the screen with giants of the Kannada industry, Chandru says acting with Anant Nag was one of the toughest experiences of his career. “He is such a natural actor, whatever you do will come off as overacting. The skills we have as actors need to be at their sharpest while sharing the screen with Anant,” he concludes.
Kanta Matthu Kanta will be staged on Jan 5 &6 at 7.30pm, at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar. Details on bookmyshow.com
Actor Sihi Kahi Chandru speaks to CE about the success of his play Kanta Matthu Kanta, in which he shares the screen with fellow actor Mukhyamantri Chandru, and how his cooking show overshadows other creative endeavours