In a career that seems to leap from franchise to franchise with effortless charisma, Bridgerton breakout star Charithra Chandran is fast becoming one of the most recognisable faces on the big screen and digital streaming platforms. But beneath the high-profile credits and high-octane stunts is a grounded, reflective young actress who admits she’s still figuring it all out.
Trading in the corsets for combat training, Charithra sat down with ETimes for a candid conversation about her latest action-packed venture, Fight or Flight. When asked whether a particular celebrity inspired her journey to the big screen, she answered, “I don’t think I was inspired by any one particular person.”
“I think I’ve always been enamoured by film and TV, and I just love making people laugh and feel deeply. And so, yeah, it’s just something I’ve always gravitated to.”
But despite the impressive trajectory so far, Chandran isn’t quick to call it a dream fulfilled. “Am I living the dream? I don’t know. That’s a tricky one. I think that everything happens… Sometimes people see things going well in your life as like an overnight success, and, you know, we all know the heartbreak and the rejection and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. So it always feels like I’m aiming for the next thing. I can never really enjoy the success, unfortunately.”
After playing the younger version of Taboo in Dune: Prophecy, the 28-year-old actress took flight in her first major film appearance in the gritty action thriller Fight or Flight—though, as she pointed out, the timeline was slightly flipped. “Well, I actually filmed the action thriller before I did Dune. We did it in six weeks in Budapest and everything happened so quickly. I think it was really about being up for anything and being super collaborative because we just had to work so closely as a team.”
Having now dipped her toes into drama, sci-fi, action, and comedy, Chandran isn’t limiting herself to one lane. “I love all of them. They all challenge me in very different ways. And I think the beauty of being an actor—and the kind of actor I want to be—is being able to do it all.”
She recalled a starstruck moment meeting her Dune co-star after filming wrapped. “Tabu was so lovely. She’s so unbelievably beautiful and chatty and charismatic… I obviously grew up watching her movies, so it was definitely a starstruck moment for sure.”
Chandran’s first foray into full-blown action saw her starring alongside Josh Hartnett. “Josh is such a lovely guy. He made working with him so easy, and he’s such a seasoned pro. I always felt so at ease when I was around him. He’s incredible.”
As one of the most visible actresses of Indian-origin in Western cinema today, Chandran is aware of the weight of representation. “It’s an absolute honour to represent India and be British-Indian because I’m so proud of who I am. I love my culture. But what I often find difficult is that I have to represent all of India. India is such a big place, and every state has a different language, a different culture, a different way of doing things. I think the next step in representation is being able to be super specific about our identities.”
To aspiring actors in India looking to break into the West, Chandran offers both practical and creative advice. “Stay in school, finish your 12th—for sure. There’s a sense of security and groundedness that comes from knowing you have an education to fall back on. But also, in many ways, the industry has become so much more accessible. You can write your own stuff, shoot things on an iPhone—it looks amazing. So I’d say get creative, get stuck in, and make your own things.”
And as for her dream collaborators? “I really love R. Madhavan, who’s a Tamil actor and has obviously worked in Bollywood as well. And I also really love Vidya Balan. I think she’s so talented.”
With wit, wisdom, and a growing string of box-office hits under her belt, Chandran is shaping not just a career, but a legacy of visibility and versatility—on her own terms.