Born in Pabna, Chowdhury graduated from University of Dhaka and initially served as a lecturer at UODA while acting in some Aranyak Nattyadal stage productions.

His popular roles in the dramas Shurjer Hashi (2005) and Talpatar Shepai (2006) culminated in a film career starting with the critically praised Rupkothar Golpo (2006).

Chowdhury is a celebrity endorser of brands and products and is also involved with social causes related to women, children and disabled people.

[11] Chowdhury made his theatre debut with Kalo Daitya,[7] and went on to work in a number of plays, including the popular drama Shangkranti (1998).

[1][7] It was in 2004 that actor Fazlur Rahman Babu introduced Chowdhury to directors Gias Uddin Selim and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.

Chowdhury subsequently found more work in television dramas; his notable roles of this period include Selim's Shurjer Hashi (2005).

[12] A starring role in the drama Vober Hat (2007) brought him further popularity, and he then went on to work with directors Salauddin Lavlu and Saidul Anam Tutul.

[14] Chowdhury's first film was the Tauquir Ahmed-directorial Rupkothar Golpo (2006), which earned him a Meril Prothom Alo award in Best Actor (Critics' Choice) category.

[18] The psychological thriller Debi (2018) starred Chowdhury as Misir Ali opposite Jaya Ahsan, directed by Anam Biswas.

[21] The 2020 thriller series Taqdeer, directed by Syed Ahmed Shawki and starring Chowdhury in the titular role,[22] was well-received by audience.

[27] For the web film Dui Diner Duniya (2022), directed by Anam Biswas, Chowdhury and Fazlur Rahman Babu received rave reviews for their complementing performances,[28] and the former won a Best Actor (Critics' Choice) trophy at Meril Prothom Alo award ceremony.

[41] In December 2022, Chowdhury made a comeback on stage with a supporting role in Rarang, a play based on the life of Alfred Soren.

[21] Chowdhury made a cameo appearance as Sheikh Lutfar Rahman in the biopic Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023), directed by Shyam Benegal.

[60][61][39][62] Agnideb Bandyopadhyay of The Telegraph credits the actor as the foremost propeller of Bengali media into the global scene, noting, "There is a new dimension to Chanchal Chowdhury that is unlocked with every project that he embarks on, where his fandom knows no borders or lines.

[64] A writer for The Business Standard praises the actor's quality-over-quantity approach, contrasting it with his contemporaries who "are more worried about how they measure up to Shah Rukh Khan and Tom Cruise".

[65] Chowdhury is a celebrity endorser of multiple brands, including Bashundhra Tissue and Chik herbal hair color.

[66][67] In 2016, Chowdhury and actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha became ambassadors for mobile phone service company Robi Axiata Limited, for a period of two years.