Bangalore city helped me in my film career: Chang

... says Meiyang Chang, whose drunken act in Badmaash Company was inspired by his nights out in Bangalore
He is a dentist with a difference. He brings a smile to people’s faces with his songs. And that’s exactly what singer-actor Meiyang Chang did when he flew down to Bangalore for a private concert and had the audience eating out of his hands. So where does he get this energy from? “I don’t know.Even if I am groggy, the moment I see the audience, I feel an instant rush of energy. That keeps me going,” says Meiyang.
Reminiscing on his good old days in Bangalore, the Badmaash Company actor says, “I came to Bangalore in 2005 and completed my dentistry here. At that time, I was contemplating taking part in a reality show that was going into its second season. Everybody was talking about Abhijeet Sawant, the winner of the first season, and how he had become a big name. I took part in the third season. I was in Kolkata when the auditions were happening in the city and I thought, ‘Why not give it a shot?’,” says Meiyang.
But what this chirpy singer finds funny is that a lot of people get his identity wrong. “Some think I am from Kolkata since I represented the city in the show, some say I am from Bangalore as I completed my higher studies here, some think I am from the north east, courtesy my looks. I prefer to call myself a Dhanbad boy. After all, that’s where I was born and brought up. I’m third-generation Indian-Chinese,” says he.
Now that Meiyang has tried his hand at both singing and acting, which does he prefer? “I had to play a happy-go-lucky youngster in my first film and I had a great time. My party experiences in Bangalore were quite helpful for the role, as I had to play a drunken guy for a few scenes,” says Meiyang, adding, “I love singing too and every show is an experience in itself. So, both in equal measure.”
Since Meiyang is known as a reality TV star, does he think that there are too many reality shows on air at the moment? “On the contrary, I think there are too few shows in Hindi. But if you put all the languages in which these shows are aired together, yes there are too many of them. The greater the number of shows, the poorer their quality,” he says.
How has life changed for him after his brush with the glitz and glamour of tinsel town? “Not by much, really. But I do get the occasional leeway from the traffic cops and a little bit of attention, which I enjoy. There are talks going on for a film with a big production house and once the deal is sealed, I will announce it to the world,” he says.