A model, an actor, and an entrepreneur; all in one package. Yes, she is none other than Miss Chum Darang, who has won many beauty pageants and right now is the owner of a restaurant and coffee café called Café Chu, a famous café in Pasighat, East Siang.

Not just this, she recently made her debut in a Bollywood movie called "Badhai Do," with Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Padnekar. Darang also had a brief role in the Anushka Sharma-backed online series Pataal Lok in 2020 before Badhaai Do.

Darang is also noted for her social efforts, which has been recognised by the Arunachal Pradesh government. The 29-year-old actor, model, and social worker.

Chum is one of just a few Northeastern actors to have starred in Bollywood films. Danny Denzongpa from Sikkim is the most well-known, having appeared in films such as 'Agneepath,' 'Kalicharan,' and 'Burning Train.' Adil Hussian of Assam for his roles in 'Life of Pi' and 'Reluctant Fundamentalist,' Lin Laishram from Manipur who starred in 'Rangoon' and 'Life of Pi' and Thangjam Biju Singh also from Manipur who acted in 'Mary Kom' and 'Shivaay.'

Her early life

Chum Darang was born in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, on October 16, 1991. She completed her education and pursued her studies alone at Pasighat, where she was born. After high school, she attended Jawaharlal Nehru College in Pasighat and received her diploma. There is a rumour that she was a tomboy when she was younger and liked to play with male pals. However, as she grew older, she developed an interest in modeling and performing.

Her career

She decided to become a model in 2007 and began her modeling career in 2008. Her journey to greatness began in 2010, when she was crowned Miss AAPSU. After that, there was no turning back. She continues to compete in beauty pageants at the national and international levels. Chum Darang was a finalist in the North East Diva 2014 pageant and a runner-up in the Miss Himalaya 2015 pageant. Continuing her dream, she won Miss Earth India Water 2016, adding another title to her collection. She competed in the Miss Asia World beauty pageant again in 2017 and finished as the 5th runner-up. She was also crowned Miss Internet andMiss Tiara India International in the same year.

After winning many crowns, she was the talk of the town and overnight  became a role model for many of her fans. After winning Miss Tiara India International 2017, she returned to her native place and opened a café with the name "Café Chu", which is one of the most famous cafés in the area.

She began her acting career after earning success in all of her endeavours. Initially, she appeared in the web serial "PataalLok." She also appeared in an advertisement alongside Akshay Kumar. However, these were all very brief snippets. She persisted in her efforts to break into Bollywood, which was also her ambition. She eventually made her acting debut in the newly released film "Badhai Do." She played Chenakki, Suman's (Bhumi) girlfriend, in the film, which also starred Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Padnekar.

Chum Darang is currently a prominent actor and entrepreneur, with an Instagram following of more than 86.5 thousand people. She demonstrated that if we keep working hard to attain our goals, we would eventually reach the top.

Chum Darang epitomises the expression "Beauty with Brains."

Experiences So far

The actor in an interview revealed that she had earlier been offered roles like that of a ‘spa employee’ but turned them down. She stated, “I was offered such roles, like that of a spa employee, and I was scared that if I agreed to do them, I would be typecast. And this is what actors from the North-East fear. Not just in movies, but in day-to-day life as well, things are not easy. When I was called for my audition for Badhaai Do and this was in March 2020, on my way to the venue, two boys shouted ‘corona’ at me and I started crying.”

Despite all the ups and downs, she managed to overcome all her barriers in an industry that’s not only tough but unimaginable for someone none associated with Film Industry to break through. Today, it seems like she’d sailed off quite smoothly now and is starting to get recognized for all her efforts.