About : MTV VJ and popular Deejay
Website: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0157814/
How it happened : Interview with Nikhil Chinappa
Interview Date: Summer, 2003
Place: In a Mercedes, on the way from Le Meredian to the Airport!
Pics: None
‘Mildly’ Psychotic Inter-Galactic Space Traveller…That’s him in his own words. To us, he is known as the guy who studied architecture, became a radio jockey, then a VJ and finally an actor. The defination of ‘weird’ is not complete, until we name him in it. The guy whose USP is talking and making people laugh, who won the MTV VJ hunt by displaying his talents of cracking jokes, whose body cannot make a rapport with his mouth, Nikhil Chinappa gave an exclusive interview to me, just minutes before he was at the airport, while travelling in a limousine !
Nikhil Taneja (NT) : How would you define yourself ?
Nikhil Chinappa(NC) : A mildly psychotic inter-galactic space traveller… mildly psychotic…!
NT : How was the experience of being on stage with the Vengaboys ?
NC : It was awesome…It’s just that I couldn’t get close enough to them on stage, because they’ve got this whole security arrangement thing…No no…I’m just joking. They’re really nice people…no attitude, no airs about themselves, just really professional with their work and really good fun to be with.
NT : I believe you were a radio jockey before. What made you become a VJ ?
NC : Desperation, basically. My parents had thrown me out of the house. I had no job, I had nothing to do…didn’t really want to do architecture, which is what I had studied. Then the MTV VJ hunt happened…I went out there, auditioned and got the job !
NT : What do you think a person has to possess so that he could try to become a VJ ?
NC : Putting it seriously, you have to have some sort of ability to communicate. It’s not being able to talk well, it’s being able to go from behind the television, through it, to somebody. It’s not about looking good, because, as you can see, I am not on MTV for my good looks. Umm…it’s just having something that connects with people, you know, it’s just like an undefinable quantity…the ‘X’ factor ! (Laughs)
NT : Describe your life before and after you became a VJ.
NC : It’s pretty much the same, man. My dog still doesn’t pay me any extra attention…I still have to go down the road to buy local bread …and I still stand in queues to pay my telephone bill. It’s about the same, except that, thanks to Richard (one of the organizers, from Talent Brokers), I am being driven in my first Limousine…an experience that I hope to repeat. It’s probably for my good, because after MTV, I’ll probably be a driver of a limousine.
NT : You’ve interviewed a lot of people. Whose interview do you cherish the most and why ?
NC : Diana King, definitely. Diana King and Vengaboys, actually, it’s the same quality. Very nice people, very easy to get along with, who’ve given a good, fun interview, lots of energy on the show. Yeah, that’s about it.
NT : You are quite close with Gaurav Kapoor, who is of Channel V. Isn’t there any Channel rivalry between the VJ’s of different channels ?
NC : It’s just that
NT: What would you say are the best and worst things about being a VJ and why ?
NC : The best things…uhh...well, everything is the best. The worst things are the flights…the early morning flights. That’s the only complaint I have. And you get less women hanging out with you, when you are a VJ. It’s actually more men, who are hanging out with you, when you are a VJ !
NT : Were you always a funny guy or did you become one eventually, after VJ-ing ?
NC : Umm…I don’t know. The thing is that I started working at a gym, because I used to get beaten up a lot. The reason I used to get beaten up a lot was because I had a mouth, that my body couldn’t stand behind. So basically, I was a big mouth, a smart-Alec sort of guy, who would get beaten up a lot.
NT : Is that a serious answer or a funny answer ?
NC : That is, I mean, I picked up most of my humour from my mother. She is a very funny person, even though she doesn’t know it.
NT : How did Snip come about ?
NC : Umm…I thought I was going to audition for a movie about a circumcision that goes wrong, but, when I got there, I found out that it was actually a barber story! One of my friends was auditioning for one of the roles. She said, ‘Why don’t you come along ? This part is good for you.’ So, I went along, I auditioned and read the script, I really liked it and it just happened.
NT : Did you ever think that being a VJ could be a stepping stone to Bollywood ?
NC : No, I still don’t think it’s a stepping stone to anything. It’s just that it opens up doors for you. You can’t use anything to step to anything. You have to take that step yourself. But being a VJ, yes, it does open up doors.
NT : How was the first time you faced the camera on the big screen as well as the small?
NC : It was okay. It wasn’t all that difficult. Shooting for MTV is actually a lot more fun, because, you know, you don’t have to plan anything. You can just pick up the camera, grab the mike, and then you shoot it. But for television, or when you are doing serials on television, or if you are doing a movie, there are lighting angles that have to be taken care of…you have to stand there, the camera will move like this and you have to do that and these are the lines you have to say…so, it’s a little more stressful, not as much fun.
NT : I believe you are doing a film with Mahesh Manjrekar…
NC : Yeah, it’s called Pyaar Kiya Nahin Jaata. It’s a love story. It’s a three person love story. I am the really, really, really nice guy.
NT : And who are the other stars ?
NC : There is Divakar Pandit, who is also doing his first movie…he is a model, and then there is Sonali Bhendre.
NT : Would you sacrifice your life as a VJ to become a successful actor ?
NC: I don’t know about that. I haven’t really planned. I didn’t plan on becoming a VJ. I didn’t plan on becoming an architect, I didn’t plan on doing most of the stuff that I’ve done. So, if it’s fun, yeah. Life is a journey…it’s not a destination. So, you know, if you are moving through, if you’ve got to leave VJ-ing behind, or whatever, it’ll happen. I don’t really plan it.
NT : How does acting differ from VJ-ing ?
NC : VJ-ing is more spontaneous. That’s about it. Facing the camera is pretty much the same thing, but VJ-ing gives you lot more freedom to experiment, to do things. I like to climb a lot. I don’t know whether you saw the Vengaboys concert yesterday. VJ-ing allows to climb…climb trees, climb buildings, climb scalp-holdings, which is what I was doing yesterday. But acting is, you know, according to the director. So you’ve to stand there, take three steps there, say your lines there and then react here(He enacts it in a funny way). Okay ?
NT : Apart from popularity, what are the advantages a VJ has ?
NC : Room service. Seriously, room service. You get to stay in some nice hotel, and the room service is brilliant there. I’ve discovered, in how many different ways, you can make a masala omelette, in hotels all over of
NT : What is your unaccomplished aim in life ?
NC : Umm, right now, just one…which is Scuba diving. It used to be sky diving and scuba diving. I did sky diving some time ago. That’s about it
NT : What next ?
NC : I don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t planned anything. Radio would be good, because radio’s been my first love.
NT: Any last words from the wise ?
NC : Any last words from the wise ? Wise ?? You are speaking to the wrong person, my friend
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