Chandrachur Singh


Chandrachur Singh is an Indian actor, who mainly works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of a Filmfare Award, in addition to receiving nomination for an IIFA Award and a Screen Award.

Early life and career

Singh is the son of Baldev Singh, a former MLA from Khair, a town in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Krishna Kumari Devi from the royal family of the princely state of Patna in current-day Odisha.
Singh attended the all-boys boarding school The Doon School in Dehradun, and then went to St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi. Later, he prepared the UPSC entrance examination aiming to be an IAS officer. In the early 1990s, Singh, a trained classical singer, taught music at Vasant Valley School and history at his alma mater, The Doon School.

Career

Beginnings and early success (mid-to-late 1990s)

Singh made his acting debut in 1996 in Tere Mere Sapne which was produced under Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited. Later that year he starred alongside Tabu in Maachis for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He appeared in several films as a leading actor which failed to do well, but he had success with his lead roles in the multi-starers Daag: The Fire opposite Sanjay Dutt, Kya Kehna opposite Preity Zinta and Josh opposite Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan, for which he won many popular votes. He was nominated for Filmfare Awards on two occasions, in different categories.

Decline (early-to-mid 2000s)

After initial successes, his career went into a low, because of multiple dislocations of his shoulder joint, which he suffered while water skiing in Goa. Because of the pain on his shoulder, he couldn't work out or stay fit which caused him to gain weight and lose roles. His last few releases included Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata and the delayed release Sarhad Paar which was shot in 2002 and released in 2006. All three films flopped at the box office.

Attempts at comeback (2010s-2020s)

In 2012, he made a comeback with the multi-starer film Chaar Din Ki Chandni. The film featured Tusshar Kapoor, Kulraj Randhawa, Anupam Kher, Om Puri and Farida Jalal in lead roles. Chaar Din Ki Chandni received a mixed response from critics, and turned out to be a flop at most places in India. Singh also played a role in the 2012 English-language film The Reluctant Fundamentalist, directed by Mira Nair. He then appeared in Zilla Ghaziabad which had been delayed for years, and finally released in August 2013.
In 2020, he made his big acting comeback with Disney+ Hotstar crime drama television series Aarya, opposite Sushmita Sen. It was directed by Ram Madhvani.

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRoleNotes
1990AwaargiAssistant director
1995The Waiter in Slow MotionZordar MoothmareShort film
1996Tere Mere SapneRahul Mehta
1996MaachisKripal 'Pali' SinghWon - Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut
1997BetaabiSameer
1998Sham GhanshamSham
1999Dil Kya KareSom Dutt
1999Daag: The FireRavi Varma
1999Silsila Hai Pyar KaAbhay Sinha
2000JoshRahul SharmaNominated - Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor
2000Kya KehnaAjayNominated - Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated - IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001Aamdani Atthani Kharcha RupaiyaaRavi
2002Bharat Bhagya VidhataShabbir Jehangir Khan
2006Sarhad PaarRavi
2009Maruti Mera DostRaghvendra
2011Kemiti Ae BandhanaTanmay PatnaikOriya film
2012Chaar Din Ki ChandniPrithvi Singh
2012Prem MayeeArun
2013Zilla GhaziabadKaramvir
2013The Reluctant FundamentalistBandy UncleEnglish-language film
2013Let’s TalkChutad SinghShort film
2015Chal Guru Ho Jaa ShuruSathya Baba
2015Chooda: Ek Pratha
2017Aa Gaya Hero
2017Prakash Electronic
2017Yadvi - The Dignified PrincessMaharaja Bhupinder Singh
2022CuttputlliNarinder Singh
2025BayaanPremiered at the TIFF

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012Royal RasoiHost
2013Savdhaan IndiaAkshayEpisode 477
2020
Aarya		Tej Sareen
2021Dil BekaraarHardik Motla