Malayalam actor Kunchacko Boban recently put out the seven-day #ChackochanChallenge [the actor is known as Chackochan in the Malayalam industry] on his Instagram handle. Day 1 of the challenge pegged on generosity — making a donation to a cause/organisation or a person in need.
Also Read | Get ‘First Day First Show’, our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema, in your inbox . You can subscribe for free here
Day 2 revolved around being environmentally conscious by not only planting trees but also taking care of them, spending time with Nature or gifting plants. At the time, Kerala was under a lockdown.
Kunchacko Boban's #ChackochanChallenge
Over the next five days, the ‘tasks’ ranged from catching up with old friends and playing a game [he played chess] to reading, working out and helping at home. “ The second wave of COVID-19 has affected people more, be it mentally, emotionally... in every sense. It affected me also. A conversation with an old school friend gave me the idea. Anyway, we were all locked up in our homes. Why not come up with something that would be engaging?” he says over the phone.
Rather than a challenge, he prefers to describe it as “some fun that would be helpful to those who do it and others too”. “Anybody can do the activities I chose, they are not out of the way or hard to do. For instance, when you help others, you are helping yourself; you find some peace or calm. Even the physical activity, the exercises are not bone-crunching but simple that will leave you pumped up.”
For those used to celebrity workout videos and vacation throwback photographs, #ChackochanChallenge was a meaningful change during the lockdown. The feedback has been great for the actor. “Many people were doing some of these for the first time, but they are now trying to make it a part of their daily schedule,” Kunchacko says.
Kunchacko Boban's #ChackochanChallenge
A task he emphasises on is helping at home; on the last day of the challenge, he asked men to “take charge of the kitchen” for a day. He cooked prawn biryani that day, “I don’t cook on a daily basis. I found it very exciting, it was new to me. Doing new things keeps you invigorated ... cooking was exciting for me,” says the actor, whose three films have released this year ( Mohan Kumar Fans , Nayattu and Nizhal ) and TP Fellini’s bi-lingual ( Ottu in Malayalam and Rendagam in Tamil) is in the works.
Are all these or some part of his schedule? “I have also been able to do some things as part of the tasks and others are part of my routine. I was able to catch up with friends be there for friends. Exercise is a part of my daily routine, I help around in the house but not so much cooking, I held tidy it and keep it clean. Reading? I have lots of scripts to read, so that takes care of that.”
