‘Appreciation better than any award’: Actor Chandan Roy on ‘Panchayat’ success

Vikas (Chandan) is an important character in the series who is always seen accompanying and helping ‘Abhishek Sir’ (lead actor) to survive in the village. The series has been rated 9.1 out of 10 by IMDb. The series directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra also features eminent actors like Neena Gupta and Raghuvir Yadav.

Dedication, strategy and hard work are the only key elements that have made a small town boy Chandan Roy popular overnight. Hailing from a village named Mehnar in Vaishali district of Bihar, Chandan has been receiving loads of appreciation for his performance in the character of ‘Vikas’ in the latest web series ‘Panchayat’ created by TVF, a web series platform. The eight- episode web series premiered on April 3 on Amazon Prime.

Chandan Roy (in red shirt) (Still from the web- series)

Panchayat is a comedy-drama revolving around the journey of Abhishek Tripathi, played by Jitendra Kumar aka Jitu Bhaiya, who has landed in a village named Phulera situated in Ballia, UP as a Panchayat secretary due to lack of job after completing his engineering. The series has been rated 9.1 out of 10 by IMDb. The series directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra also features eminent actors like Neena Gupta and Raghuvir Yadav.

Vikas (Chandan) is an important character in the series who is always seen accompanying and helping ‘Abhishek Sir’ (lead actor) to survive in the village. The series is shot in a small village named Mahoriya near Bhopal.

In an interview with HT, Roy said, “The appreciation I am getting from all over the country is the real achievement for me. Appreciation is better than any award. I am glad that I got an opportunity to be a part of this beautiful series.”

The series is shot in the backdrop of a typical village that shows the everyday drama and struggle of the Panchayat officials.

“The series has wonderfully portrayed the everyday life and events happening in a village. Even those who have not visited or lived in a village will be able to feel the vibes of a village. I think many children who are unable to visit their ancestral villages during this summer vacation due to the coronavirus outbreak will be able to feel the series even more,” the 26 year old actor told HT.

Chandan Roy (Vikas) with Jitendra Kumar (lead actor) (A still from the web-series)

Chandan’s father is a constable in Bihar Police posted in Patna and his mother is a homemaker. Talking about the family support during his journey he said, “My parents never supported me to get into this industry, mainly because of the financial issues. We didn’t have enough money so I decided to earn for myself and pursue my career in acting.”

Roy completed his bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Patna College and then went to the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) to complete his PG Diploma in Radio and Television in the year 2013.

He worked for a media organisation for over two years in New Delhi and used to participate in various theatres after his office hours.

“I have always been passionate about acting. I worked in the organisation to earn enough money so that I can move to Mumbai and try my luck in acting. Fortunately, after a struggle of more than two years, I was selected for the role of Vikas that has brought name and fame to me. Many acclaimed actors have texted me after watching this series and have praised my work. This is no less than an award.”

Roy has also signed another movie named ‘Jamun’ directed by Gaurav Mehra that will be released on Netflix soon.