Chandan’s makeover in Luv U Alia has led him to fall in love with the mirror as he can’t get enough of his new lean and mean body. The actor under Indrajit Lankesh’s able guidance has transformed himself into a handsome hunk with a super-fit body that is sure to bring him legions of female fans. “I was given only a month’s time to prepare myself physically. In that time, I had to lose weight to look more lean and get a six pack. All I can say is that I am happy I could make it,” he says.
Chandan, who rose to fame with the television serial Lakshmi Baramma, has no regrets today about the decisions that he made to leave the small screen for a full-fledged Sandalwood career. “For a newcomer, it is tough to get a big-budget film and an opportunity to work with established stars like Ravichandran, Ravi Shankar, Bhumika Chawla and Sadhu Kokila among others and I feel that I am blessed. At one point, I felt that I needed to choose between the two as the makers of the television show did not encourage me with my films. However, I don’t feel that I have lost anything. Today, I feel that I am merely crossing a road hump on the entertainment highway and everything will fall into place,” he says.
Although Chandan has films like Katte, Bangalore-560023 due for release, Luv U Alia signals the beginning of a whole new chapter in his life as he feels creatively fulfilled with Indrajit’s idea and his own efforts in the film. “Indrajit wanted me look like a Bollywood actor and he made it happen. If he says that I am loving the mirror, it’s true because if you are fit and fine, you will love yourself. He is a director who put in effort into the transformation of a TV artiste into a tinsel town hunk and also made me feel confident about playing a lover boy,” he says.
While Chandan is only four films old, he is not new to acting because of his substantial experience on the small screen. “The way Indrajit treats an artist is amazing. Irrespective of whether one is a senior or a newcomer, he makes everyone is comfortable, allowing us to concentrate on acting alone. There was a scene for which I needed to be in a girl’s outfit and I was stiff because of my six pack, but I somehow did manage to pull it off because of the comfort factor,” he says.
Currently, Chandan has kept a dozen scripts on hold. “I am not satisfied with the compensation being offered and at the moment I am just waiting for the release of Katte and Bangalore-560023. I am also busy with dance classes, gym, dubbing and will also soon get ready to promote Luv U Alia. I was working continuously for three-and-a-half years for the serial. This is a well-deserved break which will give me time to think what I should do next,” he says.
Moulding his actors
Indrajit Lankesh is known to be a stylish director and his dedication towards moulding an upcoming actor like Chandan for his film Love You Aaliya is exceptional. Indrajit who will do whatever it takes to make it happen says, “Today, Deepika Padukone and Diganth are in Bollywood after their roles in my films Aishwarya and Dev Son of Muddegowda. Likewise, Upendra’s wife Priyanka thinks that her husband’s best look was in Aishwarya. For me, it is just about the story and the presentation of the actors,” he says.