Who would think that a dentist from Dhanbad would one day land up in Bollywood? Meiyang Chang did exactly that. He first crooned his way into the Top Five of Indian Idol 3 and from there it was a hop, skip and jump to album deals, gigs, and then Badmaash Company with Yash Raj Films.
“I didn’t look at it as a risk at that point. Opportunity knocked and I decided to shake hands with it. What I didn’t know then was that opportunity was in no mood to let go. My dad, also a dentist, supported me in a big way,” says Chang.
The Dhanbad boy has forayed in Dehradun and Bangalore before now making Mumbai his home. “My mother’s family is from Mumbai, so life has come full circle in a way. For me, it’s been a journey from brat to dentist to performer,” he says, “but I do plan to get back to dentistry sometime in the future.”
Sadly, Badmaash Company didn’t do too well at the box office but Meiyang is unfazed. “I’m hungry for more. I’ve been extremely blessed to have got the right opportunities quite early in my career over millions of other aspirants.”
Chang says it was a stepping stone, “It gave me an identity beyond the stage and television. I wasn’t even contemplating an acting career until then. To prep for a role and act it out is a heady feeling.”
Meanwhile, Meiyang has been busy releasing music ( Kuch Dino Se , Hanju ), travelling with Shah Rukh Khan for the Temptations Reloaded Tour, and with live gigs, but he is coming back to TV with Khatron Ke Khiladi and to films with Detective Byomkesh Bakshy .
Being a huge fan of Dibakar Banerjee made Meiyang agree to the film readily. “I was apprehensive about the length of my role, but soon realised that in Dibakar’s films, no role is insignificant,” he says, adding that Chinatown in Kolkata plays an important role in the story. “Researching my character revealed interesting facts about my roots. It was a fascinating experience. I can’t reveal much but I can say it’s a significant, not-to-miss role.”
