Dream boat

Meiyang Chang,who debuts with Parmeet Sethis Badmaash Company,has his feet firmly on the ground

For someone who is all over the television alongside Shahid Kapur,has a Yash Raj biggie in his kitty,and has success trailing him without desperate solicitation,Meiyang Chang sounds strangely calm. While you wait for him to get into the star-struck frenzy of a newcomer and enlighten you with details of where each drop of blood,sweat and tear was invested,Chang cuts short the cynical chuckle in your head with a blunt admission. I signed Badmaash Company just because it was a Yash Raj film. I didnt even read the script and was contemplating a hero ka dost-type role. Two scenes,another with the background dancers and thats it. But when I read the script,I was pleasantly surprised to say the least, says Chang.

And he must have come to like flirting with chance,given that it radically changed the life he was living. I was all set to go to US for my higher studies in dentistry when I auditioned for Indian Idol for a lark. I had seven months in my hand and nothing much to. But after the response I got from the show,I started giving showbiz a serious thought, says Chang. And who doesnt want to be on TV? he adds with a chuckle. There were initial apprehensions about giving up a stable career. But his parents (his father is a doctor based out of Dhanbad and mother a beautician) convinced him that he always had something to fall back upon if his creative pursuits didnt yeild fruits education,that is.

He auditioned for anchoring Indian Idol next year,started hosting post IPL shows and did a few commercials. In between,he formed a band F4 with four other Indian Idol contestants. The band fizzled out. Maybe because not many people knew about it, says Chang.

While like his fans,he himself was a little confused as to what he was anchor,actor,model or singer he realised the importance of multitasking in showbiz. But luck,as usual,had other plans for him. I got a call from Yash Raj to audition for a role and lost no time thinking about it. Later,when I landed the role director Parmeet Sethi told me that I was the first person who came to his mind when he wrote Zing,the character, says Chang. Also Aditya Chopra specifically intended to give all the four characters in the film equal importance.

His ethnicity,agrees Chang,has both its advantages and disadvantages. In a crowd,I am sure to stand out. More so because not many of my ilk are working in this industry, he says. On the other hand,he also realizes that he stands the risk of getting stereotyped or getting limited to character roles. Its not like hundred movies will be dropping into my kitty everyday. There might be one,two or even nothing, he says almost stoically.

Reason why he is probably not letting the adulation get to his head. Ill know if I am a good actor only after Badmaash Company releases. But it is yet to be released. Shooting for a film is an unnerving yet learning experience. Shahid Kapur helped me a lot with the film. There were times I felt I was giving expression and they wouldnt show on my face because of my features, he laughs.

His first film Seventeens didnt see the light of the day,his next film is a Yash Raj multi-starrer. Chang has learnt not to build castles in the tricky Bollywood air. It feels nice to get recognized on streets. But I wouldnt let that be the be-all and end-all of my life, he says.

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Dream boat

Meiyang Chang,who debuts with Parmeet Sethis Badmaash Company,has his feet firmly on the ground

Meiyang Chang,who debuts with Parmeet Sethis Badmaash Company,has his feet firmly on the ground