On a high note

Meiyang Chang, who shot to fame with Indian Idol, is now making his debut in Bollywood with Badmaash Company. He shares his experience with Screen

Launch Vehicle

Badmaash Company is about four friends who do all the wrong things the right way. I play the character of Zing, a happy-go-lucky guy from the North-East. Gradually the quartet starts earning money by doing con jobs. Eventually, I fulfilmy dream of owning a pub and I end up being an alcoholic. In the second half of the film, there are some grey shades in my character and I end up causing trouble in the group.

Casting Coup

While conceptualising the story, the director, Parmeet Sethi, had written the character of a North-Eastern guy who is fluent in Hindi. Taking a rank newcomer for this role could have been risky. Since I had done two shows- Indian Idol and Extraa Innings for Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2- I had prior experience of facing the camera. Parmeet realised that I fit the character of Zing perfectly. I’m glad I bagged this author-backed role.

Stepping Stone

I started my career as a participant in Indian Idol season 3. It gave me a platform to showcase my talent. I hosted the fourth season of Indian Idol with television actor Hussain Kuwajerwala. I also hosted IPL season 2 and have done a few ads.

First Shot

I had to give my first shot with Anushka Sharma in a godown. I was dressed up as a Muslim cleric. We had to experiment a lot with my look. Eventually, we zeroed in on one look. Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch, the shot got delayed for eight hours. This was the first time I was meeting Anushka alone. So I tried striking up a conversation with her. But she was very angry as we had to wait for a long time for the shot.

Stumbling Block

I had to face two major challenges. Firstly, since I was a newcomer, it was quite easy for me to be in awe of my co-stars. So I had to overcome that. Secondly, I play the role of an alcoholic. But I can have only a few shots as I’m allergic to alcohol. So I didn’t have any point of reference. I sought inspiration from my college days in Bengaluru when I use to drink socially with my friends.

Lessons Learnt

The biggest lesson that I learnt was that one should always be focussed in his work. The audience can always make out a half-hearted performance. So you need to give your 100 per cent.

Matinee Idol

I have never really idolised anyone. As a singer, I really like Lucky Ali’s work. But as an actor, I had to draw inspiration from my own observations for my role in Badmaash Company.

Future projects

I haven’t signed any new project. Right now, I’m waiting to see how Badmaash Company fares at the box-office. Then, I’ll take a call.