The online series ‘Panchayat’ has become one of the most popular on OTT. Those who watch this web series about the village’s tiny delights and noises aren’t tired of appreciating it. While ‘Panchayat’ allowed newcomers like Jitendra Kumar to demonstrate their abilities, it also provided established actors like Chandan Roy with a new identity. The same sandalwood who refers to Abhishek sir as ‘Avishek sir’ and the road as ‘Sarak,’ which means Assistant Development of Secretary.
Chandan Roy’s performance in the online series “Panchayat” is well-received. Chandan remarked of himself in an interview with India Today, “I come from a theatre background.” When I was cast in the character of Vikas, I decided not to act and instead focus on becoming Vikas, which is why I came across as so natural to the audience.
Vikas had to be spoiled again for ‘Panchayat’, in his language
Vikas refers to Abhishek as ‘Avishek,’ and the road as ‘Sark.’ “When I lived in Bihar, I used to speak like this,” Chandan explains, “but when I arrived to Mumbai, a lot of time was invested on rectifying all of these things.” When I got it correct, I got a ‘Panchayat,’ and I had to go back to my Bihar village to damage my language once more.
Describing his journey a long way to make a career
“I’ve been a journalist in Delhi for two years,” Chandan explains. The theatre began from there. To make a living in Mumbai in 2017, I had to roll a lot of papads on the streets. He was humiliated and sobbed a lot because of his situation. Chandan says, “While relating an anecdote from the days of my struggle,”
“I received a call from a reality programme only 10 days after I arrived in Mumbai, saying that I would be paid Rs 2,500.” Hearing this made me delighted, and I planned to use the money to buy a mattress and shoes for myself, but when it came time to collect the fees, I only received Rs 215 in my hands. He said only 250 rupees was said when I didn’t question if it was around 2500 rupees. At the time, I was crying a lot and wondering where I had gotten to, but my true narrative began right here.”
Life changed from ‘Panchayat’
“Now my fight is finished,” Chandan says. I’ve learned to be picky about my job and to negotiate for a better deal. All of these changes occurred after the film ‘Panchayat,’ as I had previously agreed to play a zombie on screen. I used to work for a thousand rupees or more. If I was really hungry, I’d purchase three bananas for ten rupees, but now I’m thinking about buying a house in a nice neighbourhood for myself, so that when affluent people come to see me, they won’t judge me based on my housing.
