‘My wife’s continuous support has resulted in this success’

Actor Naveen Chandra’s latest flick, REPEAT, a mystery thriller, is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The Pioneer rang a bell for the actor, during which Naveen explained why he is now picky about his scripts, the importance of family, and more.

K. Ramya Sree

Lately, Naveen Chandra has turned out to be a “paisa vasool” actor for his producers. Thanks to his rise with OTT shows, Naveen has become a blessing for many directors and producers who collaborate with him and vice versa. Repeat is another such show streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Naveen Chandra and yesteryear actress Madhoo are seen playing prominent roles in this film.The series is a mystery thriller that revolves around solving a kidnapping case, and Naveen is playing an undercover cop.

We got on an exclusive telephonic call with the lead actor, Naveen Chandra, who not only spoke about the project but also about his conscious story-choosing process, his family’s support, and more.

Asked why one should watch Repeat, the actor said, “It has a racy screenplay, good background music by Ghibran, and my performance. People have been telling me that I have done good work in this film. So, if they want to see my work, they should watch Repeat. It’s a good racy movie.”

During the interview, Naveen said that he is being more conscious about choosing scripts. We wondered if he made films to get people’s attention rather than to tell a story. And Naveen confessed that he did a few films in the beginning stages of his career just to grab the industry’s and people’s attention. He continued, “Some films I have done for attention.

I want people to know that I’ve been working and trying to do something in the film industry, for better or worse.I wanted them to see me. I have not been served with good scripts before. One of the reasons is that I didn’t get a super successful film in the initial stages. As an actor trying to survive in the industry, I chose some scripts to work on to better understand my work. After Hanu Raghavpudi’s film, it took me a while to get a good script and a meaty role. I feel I have impressed the audience with every project of mine.”

The Ammu actor further went on to add, “I took risks with a few films. I did a few films out of fear that I might not get work in the future if I didn’t take it up. Now things are different. For example, Repeat! It is an original Tamil film. And the makers chose me because they felt I would be comfortable. The same goes with Ammu.To me, the content is king. I like doing films in which the story has more characters. If only the hero has to solve every problem in the film, I will think about it.”

“My target is to be in films and be in different roles. I am open to being a part of the direction too,” he added. Naveen is one of those few actors who is signing multiple projects and is shooting back-to-back to give as much better content as he can to the audience. However, he ensures that he has a work-life balance.“It is very important to have a work-life balance. There are a lot of other things in life too. You have a target; reach it and focus on the other things too. I am working with only newcomers, new directors, new production houses, and new technicians. Now I feel I have time to choose films and scripts to engage audiences. I have more space now to present myself better. For me, my mental health is very important. Especially as an actor, if I am stressed, you will see it on screen. I don’t even tell my friends about the films I’m working on. That keeps me grounded.”

He further added, “Most importantly, my family is my stress buster. My family is so good and cooperative. I have been away from them for five months. I told them I could not travel and asked if they could come to me, and they travelled for me to whichever part of the country I was in. I have been married for two and a half years now. When I was doing a film like Ammu, I needed to be real. Somewhere, you take your character and bring it home. At such times, my wife has supported me a lot. I don’t think I could have achieved this level of success without her.”

He also revealed some details about his upcoming film, Month of Madhu. {“The Month of Madhu will be a surprise. I will surprise you with my role in the film for sure.”On a lighter note, when we asked him what he likes doing the most in life apart from films, he laughed and said, “I have done everything in life before I got into films since I had a lot of free time before I became an actor. I used to travel a lot. I am also searching for an actor friend. When we do back-to-back films, there is always confusion between roles and if those projects have come out well. I have many actor friends who are mostly into theater.

When I go there, I discuss with them the craft, story, and script selection. I recharge my batteries by meeting other actors and then returning to my field to create something new. I like to interact more with actors and discuss more about cinema and craft.”