Nikhil Chinappa
Name: Kalengada Dhemaiah Chinappa. ‘Nikhil’ is his nickname. ‘Chinappa’ is his given name, not surname.
Birthday: June 6th 1973
Born in: Bangalore
Grew up in: Bangalore, Agra and Sikandrabad.
Studied: At BMS College of Engineering. Graduated with a degree in Architecture. His thesis was on Hospital Design.
First Job: As a counselor for a student workshop at 14. Nikhil was paid Rs. 400/month.
Website: www.submerge.in
One Secret: Has a collection of about 2000 Vinyl records. One of his most prized records is Bango by The Tod Terry Project.
Tete-a-tete with your VJ
VJ Nikhil. You’ll recognize him by his great abs, rings, piercings, tattoos and his love for good music. Mtvindia.com spoke to Nikhil on Veejaying, life, music and more…
What were you like as a child?
I was happy. I didn’t have any ambitions or dreams. And as I grew up, I just went from one thing to another, and learnt a lot doing different things. At one point, I was working in theatre, and even wanted to be a bar tender. I had no direction. And because I had no direction, I tried out a lot of things and put it all together and created my life.
So why did you decide to try out for the MTV VJ hunt?
I thought it would be fun. I’ve always tried to do things I haven’t done before. Becoming a VJ happened to be one of the things I tried, and it worked out! When I auditioned, I was on a year-long break. If I hadn’t auditioned, who knows…I might have ended up working as an architect.
You’ve done a couple of Bollywood films like Snip, Kudiyoon ka Hai Zamaana etc. What do you like more…MTV glory or Bollywood fame?
Neither. I’d like to be known as a music pioneer. Music is what motivates and drives me. Which is why I founded Submerge (submerge.in) - the largest Indian electronic dance music company in India.
And any other projects in the pipeline at the moment?
Yea, Raghu and I are working on a vaccine to eradicate Roadies Stupidity. Rannvijay is our guinea pig. All tests have been extremely successful!
You are known for your body art. How many tattoos do you have?
I have a few. All on my arms and shoulders. I have the Hotstuff cartoon character. I think I’ve always had a kinship with cartoon characters! Then I have Gandalf from Lord Of The Rings, the Nordic star and a Buddhist chant: Om mani padme hum.
Your idea of the perfect woman…
Tall.
Your travel a lot…what has been your most exhilarating travel experience?
I’ve had a couple: Scuba diving with manta rays in the Maldives, partying all night long in Ibiza, sky diving over Nevada, bungee jumping in New Zealand…are a few.
Where do you go to holiday?
Goa….once a year to Ibiza, and I try to go scuba diving as often as in can in the Maldives.
Do you believe in God?
Yes. I’m anti-organized religion. Pro-god. Pro-whatever works for you. I don’t believe in shoving anything down anyone’s throat!
And in your life, who are the people that matter the most to you?
My friends and family, and my wife, Pearl - she’s beautiful and has an amazing sense of humor. She’s passionate about music which is inspiring and a huge turn on.
Do you support any social causes?
Yea, the two-party movement: one party on Friday, one party on Saturday. Free and fair partying for all is what I believe!
Is there a book that really inspired you?
‘Illusions’ by Richard Bach. It’s a ridiculous book; one can learn a lot from it.
VJ QUICKIE
Movies: His favorite performances are Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and As Good as it Gets.
Movie stars: (Bollywood) Arshad Warsi, Tabu. (Hollywood) Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson
Cartoon Characters: Calvin and Hobbes
Books: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. He’s read them 4 times.
Author: Douglas Adams
Musical Artists/ Band: U2, Aerosmith and Vishal and Shekhar - Nikhil finds their take on bollywood music great.. “Quirky, in an intelligent way.”
Dreams of working with: A.R. Rahman and Fatboy Slim.
Aphrodisiac: A good party
Fashion statement: Beach shorts, vest, slippers.
Quote: “To thine own self be true”
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