Actor Chandan Roy , who became a household name with his portrayal of Vikas in Panchayat, is now winning hearts with his latest short film, Aakhri Ride , presented by filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala. In the film, Chandan plays a cab driver in Mumbai, and through his character’s struggles, the audience gets a glimpse of the city’s harsh realities and how they can push people to the brink of desperation.
In an interaction with Hindustan Times, Chandan looked back at his early days of struggle, recalling how his dream of becoming an actor led him to pursue journalism before eventually moving to Mumbai to follow his passion. The actor also reflected on his nine-year journey in the city, how his career has evolved over the years and how Mumbai has gradually become home for him.
The actor explained that growing up in Bihar instilled in him a strong work ethic, something that continues to define his life in Mumbai. “I come from a very small town in Bihar, and hard work and manual labour are taught deeply there. Even now in Mumbai, I feel—you came here to work, earn, and make a name for yourself. Every morning I wake up with this exact energy. During the conversation, Chandan also spoke about what convinced him to take up Aakhri Ride. The actor shared that the decision came down to the story, the filmmakers, and, most importantly, the association with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. “When an independent film comes to me, especially a film of this kind, I look for good craft and good story. And this film was going to be presented by Anurag Kashyap. I have been a long-time fan of Anurag sir. But I didn’t have the courage to say hi to him. But the amazing thing was, I don’t know if he had seen my work back then or not, but he waved his hand. Apart from Chandan Roy, Aakhri Ride features Kennedy actor Aamir Dalvi. It is written and directed by Yashoda Parthasarthy and Vijesh Rajan and produced by Ranjan Singh, Vishesh Agrawal, Rajan EPK and Anurag. It is streaming on theYouTube channel Oh Short Flips.
So that attitude is still there today,” he shared.
Reflecting on completing nine years in Mumbai, Chandan said that he has gradually found comfort in the city, calling it home, but his approach towards work remains unchanged. So for someone who learned so much from his cinema, if his name gets attached to a film, it’s a huge deal for me,” he said. When asked if he has ever met Anurag, Chandan said, “I was coming out of an office after giving an audition, and he was about to take the elevator. I also said ‘hi’ to him from a distance.
“Today marks nine years of my time in Mumbai. Believe me, the boy who arrived nine years ago with a small suitcase — I still feel the exact same way today,” he said. I still remember that till today.
