Chaitanya Chaudhury

Smart and charming, Chaitanya Chaudhury became an overnight sensation as Akshat in Kahiin To Hoga and then vanished from the small screen. All set to make a comeback with Sangam (starting August 20 on STAR Plus), the actor chats with t2...

After a successful debut in Kahiin To Hoga, why the disappearing act from television? I am asked this question all the time (laughs). The truth is that after my track in Kahiin To Hoga wound up, I started shooting for a serial called Ankhiyon Ke Jharokon Se, a one hour weekly series for STAR Plus which till today has not been allotted a time slot. So although I have been working all this while, I haven’t been seen on screen at all.

What made you take up Sangam? I know it will sound cliched if I say that the show is different, but it really is different from the usual fare on television (laughs). The best thing about Sangam is that it has a well-etched plot and the story progresses in a definite direction. I wanted to avoid the regular saas bahu serials and when Sangam came along, I took it up. Also, the show is produced by Fox Television which is a very reputed production house.

What is your role in Sangam? Sangam is essentially a love story. I play a young man named Sagar who falls in love with a simple girl called Ganga, played by Jennifer Winget, and so the name of the serial is Sangam. My character is like the sea — calm on most occasions, but when ruffled, he can be very stormy.

Sangam has got the experimental 7pm slot on STAR Plus. Do you think the early evening slot might hit TRPs? The channel has decided to extend its primetime hour and start it from 7pm with Sangam. Zee TV has Mamta in the same time band which I believe is doing pretty well. The channel has obviously weighed the pros and cons of placing Sangam in a slot like that. It is an experiment which we all hope will pay off.

Why should viewers tune into Sangam? For starters, they should watch it because I am in the serial (laughs). Seriously, Sangam should interest viewers because of the novel plot and the fresh look and feel. And as I mentioned earlier, the story progresses in a definite direction. In fact, the first 200 episodes of the serial have already been written, which is unheard of in a daily soap.

Is Bollywood a possibility in the near future? I am definitely interested in films and have got offers from some good banners. However, films are not a possibility for the next two years because I am under contract with Fox Television for Sangam. I cannot take up any other assignments as long as I am acting in Sangam.