Exclusive! Meiyang Chang: I have taken abuses during COVID-19 because of my background

Meiyang Chang, who made his debut in the world of Undekhi with Undekhi 2 , has been facing discrimination in his life. The actor spoke to OTTplay about being racially discriminated all his life. In fact, he revealed that he has taken abuses during COVID-19 because his ancestors are from China. For the uninitiated, Undekhi also deals with class discrimination and how the upper class takes control over the lower class.

Chang, who made his debut with Indian Idol 3, also spoke about why he won’t work in TV fiction. He said that he cannot see himself doing a ‘never-ending TV serial’. The singer-actor also gave us an insight into his bond with Dibyendu Bhattacharya and more. Excerpts…

More than 10 years back, you became an actor with Badmaash Company, 5 years later you worked on OTT (when it wasn't even as popular as it was) and now we're here with Undekhi 2. What has the whole journey been like?

Wow, as an actor it has been such an interesting journey because when I started off – not that I had zero acting experience – I had participated in a lot of plays in school and I had been part of a few English and Hindi plays, even though mostly as a singer. It was interesting to prepare for that and the entire mystic that is there around the theatrical stage – the lights, the wings, the audience sitting in front of you. Despite that, I never thought I will act. Back then it was like I’m a dentist and I studied for that. I can also sing, so it is what I’ll try to do. My opening innings was straight away with Badmaash Company. I remember when I got the call for that, I said I don’t care what the role is or if I have two or 10 scenes, I’m just going to say yes to it. It is to the credit of my director Parmeet who asked me not to worry since I have a good role. He assured me that I was selected for a particular purpose. I was just craving to act. Parmeet put that faith in me and it was up to me to work hard to better my skill and look out for more projects as well.

Considering it was the time when you had either theatres or TV, I did not fit with the TV serial scenario. I was being offered a lot of similar roles like alcoholic, girl-beater and those roles. It was great but I had already done that role and wanted to do something different. Five years later, even before OTT happened, Byomkesh Bakshy happened to me. That was a masterclass in itself. There should be a separate interview for that.

You’re right. I did OTT back when Y-Films released Man’s World. It was another time altogether – an infancy stage. Seeing where it has come to today – where you get to see whatever you want – there is everything for a mood and divided according to the audience liking. There are also stories that I did not think would ever come on Indian screens or whatever platform you’re watching it on. I’m really glad to see it happening.

Coming back to Undekhi, have you been able to see the first season and what were your views on it?

When I was offered Undekhi season 2, in order to keep Abhaya’s character natural, it was my conscious decision to not watch season 1. I just worked on the basis of my character graph. He is connected to the Atwals and what is happening but there is a very peripheral connection. I did not want my character to get very influenced by what has already happened in season 1. How it has been shot, executed and performed also did not fit in the world I wanted to be in. I did that because Abhaya is also not from that world. He is disconnected and aloof. I wanted to bring that as a part of my preparation. As much as I wanted to watch the first season, I refused to do so. It was a small sacrifice for the role and what has happened. It was also very difficult for me because the day I got the call for auditions, I was already in the mountains (Himachal). I was on a nice long vacation when the role came to me. The character points that I heard made me want to pick the project because I thought I was already in that rebel mode an contemplative about the world and money being moh maya. The three-four people who were living with me in the camp asked me what was I shooting for. I casually told them that I’m shooting for Undekhi season 2 and they got all excited and told me “Kya baat kar raha hai! Arre it is such a good show.” All these friends were listing down all the characters like Rinku, Papaji, DSP and I was clueless but knew that the show did well and I see that proof when I interact with people. That is when I realized the show did better than even I had heard. The word-of-mouth was crazy and I really wanted to do it. I’m glad that I have because it is also a very interesting character. Once my audition got approved and I got to know more about the role, I felt like it was a good decision.

It was one of the first few shows from Sony LIV which performed so well…

I am also a huge fan of sleeper hits. I consider them dark horses. They might not have marketing money behind them but it makes it on its own merit. There is nothing more beautiful than that. Not to take away from any other show which has been promoted heavily but if someone can become something on their own, that is really commendable. It was a no-brainer that I had to be part of season 2.

What is your favourite part about Undekhi?

There are so many wonderful reasons to like it. This season is much bigger than the first one. I’m saying this now because I did watch season 1 eventually. I called up the cast and crew immediately and told them how much I loved their performances and the show. As a new character in season 2, I’m not coming to compete with anybody. I’m coming to build this even better. I came with that thought process which is why everything was so beautiful – because these guys really welcomed me with open arms. I already knew half the cast from the outside world and got to know about others later on. Nobody there made me feel like who is this addition. They were very welcoming and wanted to take the story forward together. Without giving away too much, I would say that pretty much, all the scenes I’ve shot with Dibyendu (Bhattacharya) da – I really love him as an actor – those were really very exciting. They were a lesson in itself because you never know what or how he’s going to do things. He’s constantly improvising. As an actor, you get to learn a lot. When the cameras are off, he sings. When he sings, I feel like singing too. There was a constant jugalbandi between Ashish, Dibyendu da and me while the people are setting up the lights, camera and everything. We would have those great moments. I had very beautiful on and off-camera moments with Apeksha (Porwal). She is a very dedicated actor and what I really like about her is that she has consciously, just how I’m trying to move away from certain perceptions and do certain kind of roles, for her also it was important to show that even if she has a pageant background, she can act and she’s much more than just a great face. To take up a character like this, the way our characters are in Undekhi and what we’re in real life, we’re constantly striving towards something similar. It is why we had so many conversations and visited such beautiful places where probably no one else has been. We got to explore a few more locations. You will see all of that when you see the show.

Since you have seen the show, you would know that Dibyendu’s character, DSP, sings throughout the show as well. Is that something that would happen with your character too?

Unfortunately not. If that were the case then it would be fun. It would have created a moment of black comedy perhaps. While DSP sings from one side, Abhaya would sing from another. We have stored these moments off-camera though – where we sing together, those are beautiful. Who knows, maybe we’ll sing somewhere else together.

Undekhi talks about class difference. Have you ever come across such a situation or been differentiated in another way?

In my case, it wasn’t class differentiation. It would be more of a case of racial discrimination which has happened ever since I remember. Fortunately, it hasn’t been as much with me as it has been with other people of oriental features, whether they are from India or outside it. I have been lucky to be accepted by most people but I would assume that’s also because I’ve been on National Television. A lot of people have seen me across the world so they know that I am an Indian by heart who speaks in Hindi and croons Hindi songs. For a lot of other people, yes, there has been that. I have also faced it, more so during pandemic. I either tell them off sweetly or ignore them altogether. Sometimes it is out of anger, which could be justified but sometimes it is out of ignorance. That ignorance – whether class divide or race – is not irreversible. If we want to learn and improve, anything is possible. If I give my example, from my place of privilege. I never realized that there is a class divide out there. I believed that everyone was living happily and without tension. The more you come across stories, read and see – India is also creating some good films on class divide and a lot of discourse is happening over it, so you start understanding when you come across such moments. The first step is to acknowledge that it is there. The next step would be to try to bridge that gap. I don’t know when that will happen but at least if we start believing that something like that exists, then that is important. Undekhi is a prime example of the class difference and how money rules. The whole debauchery that is there – that everything depends on your status and money power. The world is like that. Undekhi portrays that very well – about how power circles work – where there is a lot of money and status and there is nobody to challenge you. If there is someone, then they are dead meat. It’s a very real portrayal which is why it is important. There is so much evil in Undekhi that you feel like someone with good intentions will not fight them. We already saw how DSP and Rishi really tried their level best and what happened to them. The beautiful part is that Abhaya’s character is actually not a good guy but he’s still somebody who’s willing to do something. As I said, being a certain way is not a crime but not improving on it or getting better is. Abhaya is a pretty grey character but he actually has the guts to come forward and do what is right and fight, even if it because of his own selfish reasons or for the greater goal. You realize that evil is only fighting evil.

Do you believe that the class difference or any kind of difference – now that is not the case with the new generation because they know that differentiating is wrong but you still see it in the older generation. Is it because of the generation gap – where the mentality that they had has been passed on but people are not accepting it today. It is also what you see in the show, in the form of Papaji and Rinku. Would you agree that is how the differentiation begins?

It's also because the newer generation has gone out to different places, lived on their own and made our own lives, which is why they tend to see outside the tunnel-vision that when you see it in yourself or somebody else facing these situations, you get to know. I’ll give you an example from when I was in boarding school. Ragging was a culture there. Me and my entire batch did not feel good when we see ragging. We made a pact that we wouldn’t rag anyone when we become seniors. That is the difference now. Batch after batch, people think that if they have been ragged so much, they will take revenge on their juniors. Somebody along the way either sets a good example and says I will be better. It is what the newer generations are doing. They also get misguided. Eventually, compared to everybody else, the newer generation are kids and they are easy to influence. Who is guiding you on the way is very important. Even if there is nobody to show you the path, the newer generation is very intelligent to actually go and do some research, read up a little bit, talk to people and things are improving. Some people are indifferent to these things too. It’s not possible that so many of us are unaware of so many things and problems – whether class difference or otherwise. Many of us mainly decide to turn a blind eye, probably because it is not affecting us at all or you do not want the status quo to change. However you use it, in Undekhi, it is the power that is being used to propagate the class divide.

I remember Chang as the singer on Indian Idol, when the show was a huge hit. You became such a big hit that you not only sang but became the host in the next season. However, your journey on TV has been between hosting and participating reality shows. You mentioned that you have been stereotyped on the medium. Do you see that changing? Do you see yourself acting on TV?

I don’t see myself doing TV fiction unless something drastically changes in the content that’s being made there. I don’t see myself doing a never-ending TV serial. I can’t keep working on a serial that airs for 3-10 years. Very practically speaking, how do you create great content consistently when that happens? We’ve had some great shows abroad which have been seasonal. You can do 8-13 episodes in one season and then take a break. You go back and write and then come up with compelling stories and characters. Here in India, you can’t blame anybody but the shows keep going on and so, where do people actually have the time to write content which is kickass for TV serials. I wouldn’t trust the quality. I have many friends working on TV fiction but the quality is dismal. Everyone associated with those shows are very talented but because of the material and limitations, what can they do? It is why I don’t see myself doing TV fiction. I had the chance to do it before and realized that it is not my cup of tea. I’m very happy doing non-fiction shows on TV. It is a little bit in the rut right now. I would love to see some new things being churned out. Sometimes when I catch these shows, I realize that it was the same even six years back. There are still some hosts that I really enjoy watching. That time it feels like something good is happening. All the singers, dancers and performers are great and are tackling things better than before but you know, the OTT platform really helped. Here, you have the freedom and can make so many things and stories. Pretty much nothing is off limits, so to say. There are very few topics that you can’t touch because of certain reasons. However, there are other things that you can talk about. There are actors, writers, performers and directors hungry to make all this happen. It’s great. I have my priorities very straight. Yes, I love hosting and singing will never go out of me but I’m really hungry for good roles. The last year has also been very interesting on that front.

In 2018, you dubbed for Ant-Man and The Wasp. Any other offers after that?

I got a call for a couple of other things. It’s just the audition process. I was called to audition for The Live Action – Aladdin. He’s also a singer. Ultimately Armaan did the dubbing and he did a kickass job with that. It was interesting. Overall, nothing more substantial has come. I would say that was the most substantial thing that I was offered. By substantial I mean anything that actually makes a difference to the project. It doesn’t really have to do with the length of what I’m doing. That has been my approach to all the work that I do.

What are your upcoming projects? Are you a part of Love, Lust and Confusion's new season?

We’re all dying that LLC 3 should happen but unfortunately because the platforms have switched – it was originally on Viu and is now on Voot. I just got to know that the second season was just launched. I’m glad it’s there on a more accessible platform. I know a lot of people love Yudi although it is kind of an extended cameo. I really loved working with that team. Victor and Sharanya are very close friends. It was beautiful to see a dream of theirs come true after so many years. They were doing different things. They were behind-the-scenes on a lot of things. They were the first to work on Coke Studio India. From there, to see them make it so far – they’re working on movies as well and have already released one and I’m working with them again. It is good to see that. I’m not sure about LLC 3. We’ll have to really go after Voot and force them to make it. I can’t talk about my other projects.

You are also a fan of sci-fi. Wouldn’t you like to work in that genre?

Most definitely. I am a fan of sci-fi and would love to do something in that. I would probably have to work outside of India though like my good friend Kubra who has worked in Foundation. We don’t know if India has the budgets for that right now in India.