Actor and rapper Chaitnya Sharma aka SlowCheeta has garnered praise for his performance in Ajay Devgn-starrer Maidaan. In Amit Ravindernath Sharma's sports drama, PK Banerjee, the star footballer who wrote history with his team by winning the 1962 Asian Games, under the mentorship of Syed Abdul Rahim (played by Ajay Devgn).
Maidaan has garnered rave reviews, and Chaitnya's performance was mentioned by many. Chaitnya joins DNA India for an exclusive interaction, and shares 'unreal' responses for his performance. "I'm still processing it. Is this happening to me? Is this my life?" An elated Chaitnya continues, "It's a film I'm proud of, aisa nahi ki film bekar hai, but we're still promoting it. So when your performance earns reviews from veterans like Shabana Azmi, and Javed Akhtar, it feels unreal." Chaitnya confesses that this film and the role of PK Banerjee are way beyond his expectations, "To get this opportunity, yeh role meri aukat ke bahar tha. Itne bada legend, PK Banerjee, ka character play karna ka mauka baar-baar nahi aata."
The actor is a real-life football lover, and he recalled how he grabbed the role. "In 2019, I was shooting for Apna time aayega (Gully Boy) when I was spotted. I used to play for a football league called Roots. That day, we were losing 2-0, and I scored a hat-trick to win us the game. Maidaan’s first assistant director Atul (Shahi) was there to scout for talent. That was the start. The next three months were gruelling because I kept auditioning again and again. I had to learn a monologue in Bengali. When I was sent to train in March 2019, I realised it was happening to me."
Chaitnya asserts that in the 4-year production, the actors became family and they would be there for each other, even if they were not required for the shoot. "Hum 40-degree mein, Madh Island main mar rahe hai khelte waqt, and kisi ek ka bhi shot ho, baki sab bhi rehte the. This is very rare in Bollywood, where most of them are self-centred and selfish."
The journey to Maidaan wasn't easy. During the shoot, he hurt himself, "During the Team India song, when I kick at a box hanging over the goal post, that was our first shot. We were given leather boots that would weigh 10 kg. And to hit the target with a leather ball was a nightmare. For 20 minutes we were kicking at those boxes, and Amit wanted that shot perfectly. So, my foot was hurt, but I wanted to get the shot perfectly. And when I hit the shot, there was a big celebration."
Before Maidaan, Chaitanaya was seen in Gully Boy. The actor even auditioned for MC Sher's role, but the role went to Siddhanth Chaturvedi. Speaking about the same, Sharma adds, "Zoya wanted a mature, muscular-looking guy for MC Sher, thus I didn't fit for the part. However, I got another role, because Zoya was impressed by me." Asking if the rejection hurt him, Chaitnya instantly says, "Thoda hurt toh hua, but I can't think about what I lost. I rather focus on what should I get. I wasn't disappointed. For me walking towards the journey matters the most."
