Chandan Roy Sanyal: Overview

Chandan Roy Sanyal was born on January 30, 1980, in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, into a middle-class Bengali family. His mother Bandana Sanyal and father raised him with strong values. He comes from an artistic lineage with his grandmother Susheela “Tai” Pohankar being a classical vocalist of Kirana Gharana, and his uncle Ajay Pohankar is a renowned Indian classical vocalist. Chandan attended Raisina Bengali Senior Secondary School and later graduated with honors in Mathematics from Zakir Husain College, Delhi University. Initially aspiring to join IIT but unable to clear the entrance exam, he pursued mathematics and gave tuitions to meet financial expenses during his college days. His passion for performing arts eventually led him to acting. Chandan made his Bollywood debut in 2006 with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti, portraying Batukeshwar Dutt. His career-defining role came in 2009 with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey, where his portrayal of the reckless Bengali gangster Mikhail earned him widespread critical acclaim and award nominations. He has since delivered powerful supporting performances in films like D-Day (2013), Chef (2017), and Jazbaa (2015). His web series work includes notable roles as Bhopa Swami in Aashram (2020-present), and appearances in Ray (2021), Shehar Lakhot (2023), Lootere (2024), and 36 Days (2024). Chandan is also a director, having helmed four short films and is working on his feature film debut. His brother Abhishek Roy Sanyal is also a film director. wikipedia+2