Vinod Chanda (विनोद चन्द) is a fictional character from the 2022 animated sci-fi drama series Pantheon, based on short stories about Uploaded Intelligence written by author Ken Liu. He is portrayed by British actor and singer Raza Jaffrey and is based on Nils Chanda, a warmongering antagonist from the short stories who seeks to plunge the world into nuclear war due to his hatred of mankind. One of Pantheon's three protagonists, Vinod Chanda, is a brilliant engineer who seeks a utopian society through the development of Uploaded Intelligence. Kidnapped and made into an Uploaded Intelligence, enslaved in the hands of his boss, Ajit Prasad, Chanda breaks free with the aid of Prasad's previous uploads, going rogue and being driven by the desire to get what he wants by any means necessary.
Chanda is mostly well-received for his character depth, complex story and characterization, antagonistic role, voice acting, and tragic story. However, a common criticism is his reduced screen time, especially in the show's second season, due to time constraints. In an interview with Ken Liu from the Book and Film Globe, Liu states that Craig Silverstein, creator of Pantheon, wanted to turn Chanda into a "real character, " having done "all of the work needed to make that happen" as Nils Chanda was not a well-rounded character in the short stories.
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