Chaithra J Achar: Acting is what I do, photography is how I breathe

Chaithra J Achar, known for her roles in Gilky, SSB, and the recent 3BHK, has been steadily making her mark on screen. The actor, who will soon be seen opposite Prabhas in Hanu Raghavapudi’s Fauzi, is equally passionate about her creative pursuits off-screen.

Away from the arc lights, Chaithra turns to photography, a space she calls her “pause”, capturing life’s candid, in-between moments. In a conversation with Hyderabad Times, Chaithra talks about how photography became her creative outlet and why she loves capturing moments that feel real.

‘My Instagram account started as an album of disappearing stories’Photography, Chaithra says, began as something spontaneous.

“I didn’t take photography seriously until around 2019–2020. I used to post pictures of random moments and places as Instagram stories that would just vanish,” she recalls. On a friend’s suggestion, she created a separate page to archive her visuals, and that’s how @whenchaiclicks was born. “I named it that because when I collaborate with someone, it shows up as ‘when I click [their name]’.

It felt fun and personal,” she says. What started as a private creative space has now turned into something many people follow and appreciate.

“Even strangers sometimes recognise my work. That’s been very special,” she smiles.

‘I like capturing real, spontaneous moments’Chaithra’s photography style is rooted in candour. “If someone starts posing, I tell them not to. I want to capture real, spontaneous moments,” she says. “People look more beautiful when they’re not conscious of the camera. I usually click 20–30 pictures just to get one perfect shot: someone laughing or caught mid-conversation.

It’s not always easy; I’ll keep clicking and waiting for the right moment. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but that’s the fun.

” Her photography page may feel like a personal diary, but it comes with its challenges. “Some people can figure out where I am or what I’m doing just by looking at my posts. So now, I save my pictures and post them later to keep the timeline private. It’s like sharing a behind-the-scenes moment, but on my terms,” she says.

Behind the lens of a widely shared candidAmong her most-talked-about clicks is a candid photo of actors Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari, captured mid-laughter during a transit stop. “It was when we were flying from Chennai to Hyderabad. Aditi had just returned from a long shoot and was joining us. Siddharth is used to me clicking him candidly. He even told Aditi not to worry about me taking pictures,” Chaithra recalls with a laugh. “I ended up capturing some beautiful moments from that trip, including that one.”