He has acted in some big films like "Rang De Basanti", "Kaminey" and "D Day" but for Chandan Roy Sanyal the struggle to get good work is never ending.
He made a cameo appearance in "Rang De Basanti" in 2006 and got a breakthrough with Vishal Bhardwaj's "Kaminey" in 2009.
The actor was surprised by the response to his role in the Shahid Kapoor-starrer but despite the praise, it did not translate into good work.
His two films- "Faltu" and "Tell Me Oh Khuda" helped him earn enough to spend on theatre. He directed two productions as well. But the next phase was really tough for the actor.
"I did three films -- 'BMW', 'Prague' and 'Mango', but may be I was not fortunate enough as they were good films but got stuck somewhere. I lagged behind because I had invested two years working on those films. I was completely heartbroken," Chandan told PTI in an interview.
The actor got a fresh start with Nikkhil Advani's "D Day" but Chandan is now reconciled with the idea of starting from the scratch.
"There are some things that are not in your hand. I've to prove myself again and again. But that's how some people's journey is. I am not giving up," he said.
Chandan said the low phase in an actor's life has the power to make or break him.
"It's a very difficult phase, it can make or break you completely. It broke me too. It's very hard to survive without any work. But you've to get up again and work towards it.
"You can't buckle under pressure. There was a time my bank balance went zero. It again started to pick up. It's been like that all my life."
The actor will be next seen in Saif Ali Khan-starrer "Chef". Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the film is an official remake of a Hollywood movie of the same name.
Chandan said the film came to him at a time when he was ready to experiment within the commercial space.
"Limited scripts come to you because you are labelled quickly. 'He is an artistic guy, will only do certain kinds of films' is what I get to hear. So the films that come to me are already filtered. Out of the three films, sometimes two don't release or nobody watches," he said.
The actor, however, is amazed how people recognise his work even though they don't recognise him as a person.
"Because my looks have been so different in films
sometimes I have long hair, or beard or trimmed hair people don't recognise me easily. They are amazed when they realise I am in 'Chef' and I've also been in 'Kaminey' and 'Jazbaa'.
"I am the only actor who goes through this identity crisis, which is something I've started enjoying. It makes me feel like an enigma. They know my name, but don't know what face to put against the name."
"Chef" will release tomorrow.
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