It takes a lot to make characters come alive on screen says the Sam Bahadur actor Upen Chauhan
Chauhan says he has a flair for writing and that ability helps him understand and portray characters better.
Actor Upen Chauhan says he has a flair for writing and that ability helps him understand and portray characters better.

“I love acting as a profession and it will always take a front seat for me but it is writing that keeps the creative being in me alive. When you write stories, you grow up with the characters each day, which makes the process more fun. It’s because of this understanding I have realised that we actors have a huge scope to mould our roles for different narratives,” says the Bhaukaal and The Forgotten Army (2020) actor.
Talking about experimenting with characters he adds: “When I got a chance to play Tikka Khan in Sam Bahadur (2023), I researched a lot and realised that the challenge was to prepare and convincingly portray on screen two distinct age groups, 26 and 52. Fortunately, I got ample time to prepare for both the roles. I underwent rigorous boxing training for nearly ten months, gained about 8-10 kilograms of fat to look older. And within two months, I had to shed that excessive fat and gain five kilograms of muscle to play a young boxer. It was a tough call but no regrets.”
He says, “It takes a lot to make characters come alive on screen. You need a good story, a director who just lets you be and of course what you as artiste bring to the table.”
Chauhan has been a co-writer for projects like Rudra - Edge of Darkness (2022) and Bhaukaal 2 and there are other projects lined up too. “I am enjoying both tasks but as I have said my focus is on acting. Just because writing comes to me naturally so woh bhi chal raha hai. For now, I am an additional writer for shows like Undekhi 3 and Bhaukaal 3 along with the film Ishq Jhamela where you will also see me playing an interesting part as well,” says Chauhan on a signing off note.
