Mastering acting a lifelong process, says Chandan Roy Sanyal

New Delhi: Chandan Roy Sanyal, best known for films such as "Kaminey" and "Jab Harry Met Sejal", says his approach to acting has changed over the years and he now understands that mastering it is a "lifelong process".

Sanyal, 44, currently stars in hit series "Lootere" and film "Patna Shuklla". He is happy that the audiences get to see two sides of him as an actor.

"It (acting) definitely changes over a period of time. If I read the scene that I did 20 years back, I would do it differently now and 20 years from now, I will be a far superior actor or doing something else. Acting is a lifelong process and a craft that you spend years honing until it starts to become natural," Sanyal told PTI in an interview.

The actor said his aim always is to achieve an effortless flow in his performance whether it is for a movie or a show.

"When someone watches the performance and says, 'It didn't feel like acting, the thing was flowing.' That comes from years and years of rehearsal and practising every day," he added.

Sanyal made his acting debut with the 2006 film "Rang De Basanti". He has worked on projects such as "Kaminey", "Aparajita Tumi", "Midnight's Children", "D-Day", "Jab Harry Met Sejal", "Aashram", "Shehar Lakhot" and "Charlie Chopra" over the years.

The Delhi-born performer said he was introduced to the world of cinema and acting at a young age through his mother who was fond of watching films of master directors like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak.

"When I was growing up, my mother used to take me to watch Bengali films from the black-and-white era. I grew up on that." While studying at the Zakir Husain Delhi College, he became involved with theatre and realised this was something that he wanted to pursue. "I thought theatre is like a religion where everybody comes together to tell one story and everybody is treated equally and working towards one goal. My whole approach towards life changed.

"I was seeking certain answers in my life and all these questions were answered by being on stage and that's when I decided that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It just gave me sheer joy and satisfaction. I still get that joy every day out of acting," he said.

Sanyal has a set of rules to determine whether he would do a project or not.

"The first thing is who is directing, the vision of the director and the story. With my part, I see what it has to offer to the story. If my part is taken out from the film, would it exist or not," he said.

"If I think that the story can be told without my part, then I normally don't do it. But if I feel it is integral to the film, then (I go for it). That's the main criteria." Sanyal will next feature in "36 Days", a series by Applause Entertainment.

"I have directed a feature film called 'The Playback Singer' which is going to be released this year. I have directed another film which is called 'Suzie Q' which premiered at the Kolkata International Film Festival," he said.