Exclusive! Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke's Chandan Roy: Stereotyping someone based on where they are from is wrong

Hailing from Bihar, Chandan Roy gained popularity with web series like Panchayat and Hostel Daze. Now that the actor is back with the new show Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke, he raised a point about being stereotyped as a 'small town boy'.

The actor plays a computer hacker in the web series, who comes from a small town. Despite the fact that his character does not appear to be intelligent on the surface, he turns out to be one of the most intelligent people, decoding vital information to protect his nation.

Since the actor has played a small-town boy in the past as well, does he feel like he is being stereotyped? Chandan said, "Earlier, I used to get typecast even during the auditions, when they were looking for characters who hail from a small town. This is nothing new. Even today, it happens with many young actors who are from small towns and look a certain way; they are only called for auditions for certain roles. I am lucky that things have changed for me after a few of my shows did well. But I am not okay with this concept, not for me but for all the young actors who are struggling."

He added, "These days, people are taking risks and giving me versatile roles, and I am also ready to audition to see if I fit into different kinds of roles. But the whole idea of calling an actor a village boy character only because he comes from a village is absolutely wrong. An actor is someone who can convincingly play any part and can make you believe that he is someone else on-screen. That is where the performance comes in. If I am bad at that, do not give me work, but limiting someone based on where they come from is wrong."

Directed by National Award winner Srijit Mukherjee, Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke also stars Regina Cassandra, Barun Sobti, Sumeet Vyas, Gayathri Shanker, Deepika Amin, Mita Bashist and Sandeep Dhabale, among others. The series is available to stream on OTTplay and ZEE5.