In the fifth season, Ananth Joshi stepped into the role of Anu Bhaiya Gulak Vaibhav Raj Gupta has opened up about playing the much-loved role, after playing the character for four seasons.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV’s Hardika Gupta, the actor talks about the pressure to change Vaibhav, the audience’s initial reaction to the change in casting, his relationship with co-star Hailey Shah and working with her in it. Gulak And the magnet.
He also spoke about the changing opportunities for character actors in the OTT space and why such shows exist Underworld And Mirzapur It has changed the way the audience sees actors.
‘There was a bit of panic’
Given the show’s established fan base and love for Vaibhav’s character, Joshi admits there was some trepidation about how the audience would react to the change.
“More than pressure, it was nervousness. There was a bit of pressure because there were doubts. After all, Vaibhav did it very well. The show is very loved. It has such a huge fan base, which I realized only after season 5 came out,” he said.
Joshi revealed that his family was also his fan Gulak And Vaibhav’s role as Anu Bhaiya. However, he knew that he could not approach the character by copying what had already been done.
“My family is a huge fan of the show and what Vaibhav has brought to the character of Anu Bhaiya. But when it came to me, I knew that if I was expected to emulate what Vaibhav has done, it wouldn’t be possible and it wouldn’t be exciting for me,” he said.
Instead, the actor wanted to bring his own experiences to the character. “But I was very excited to bring my life experiences into the character. So, yes, I was excited to play the character. But there was also a little nervousness about how the audience would respond.”
The panic intensified when the trailer was released. Joshi admitted that the initial audience response made him question whether he had made the right decision about the role.
‘There Was Backlash’
“When the trailer came out, there was a lot of reaction. It really affected me. It made me question my choice. Did I do it right? Because people were completely missing their favorite character,” he said.
However, the reaction changed dramatically after the season premiere. Joshi said the love she finally found was especially rewarding because she had already prepared herself for the possibility of rejection.
He said, “But when the show came out and the way the reactions completely flipped, it was even higher. Because when you’re not expecting it at all, you’re already prepared that maybe it wasn’t a good choice. You’ve actually stepped into a big show.”
He added, “But out of expectation, when that kind of love is found, I think that was the greatest or most rewarding feeling.”
Joshi also recalled the messages he received from viewers after the release of the season. “Most of the messages that were coming to me through Instagram, the comments that were coming, they all started with, ‘I want to apologize to you first.’
“It felt very personal. It felt reassuring, reassuring the fact that I didn’t say anything to anybody. And I think that can be the biggest thing for an actor,” he said.
Audiences are now looking forward to continuing the Joshi journey, with him accepting him as Anu Bhaiyya. “And now, accepting that nothing has changed, I’m really looking forward to enjoying this trip even more.”
Asked if Vaibhav Raj Gupta approached him after taking over the role, Joshi said, “No, he didn’t.”
On working with Haley Shah Gulak And the magnet
Joshi has also shared the screen with Hailey Shah in both Gulak And the magnetHowever, their characters in both the projects are very different. He said that working with Shah has also led to a close friendship.
“I’m so happy to have found a friend in Hailey now. I’m a really close friend. I feel like we get each other. Somehow, we don’t need to talk too much to understand or get along,” she said.
Joshi explained that the transition from Gulak to Chumbak was particularly interesting because of how different their characters were.
“But yeah, because I think we finished Gulak and then started shooting for Magnet, it was quite a shock to our system. The two of us wouldn’t recognize each other.”
He compared them Gulak The characters, Anu and Preeti, with their roles the magnet.
He said, “Imagine Anu and Preeti in Gulak. They are very intelligent. They are very subtle. How intelligent they are when they are together. There is this natural maturity in the relationship.”
“But here, I think we were both the most immature characters, if I may say, in the world the magnet. So, yes, we often laugh,” he added.
Joshi also revealed that the actor will soon return to the film world Gulak With season 6.
He said, “And now, to go back to the set of Gulak again — we’re coming up with Season 6 very soon. Going back to that set, our system isn’t really recognizing our characters.”
“It feels like parallel universes, honestly. It feels like it’s different. That’s the fun part of being an actor, I think. You live so many lives, and you’re like, ‘Did we really do that?'”
on the the magnetHailey is working with Shah and Atish Kapadia
Joshi also talked about meeting Shah again the magnetrevealing that he only found out he was part of the project when he had already come on board.
“I think I found out when I was already on board that Haley was part of it. We were still shooting. the magnetSo we were like, ‘Oh wow, we’re going to do these other shows,’ not knowing exactly what we’d get into.
At the time, the show was still being written, and Joshi was also unsure of how he would approach his character Freddie.
“Up until then, it was still being written. But yes, the characters were there. Also, we didn’t know, at least I didn’t know until then, how I was going to play Freddy because I was in a new zone.”
The actor also praised director Atish Kapadia and said that working with him was something he wanted to tick off his professional checklist.
“Obviously, nobody writes like Atish Kapadia. It’s very unique to him. I’m glad he was part of my list of directors because nobody does comedy like him.”
“I can do many more comedies, but it will never be the same. It will never be Atish Kapadia. Never of that kind. The height and the madness is madness. It is impossible. Who can think of Atish Kapadia? Only Atish Kapadia can,” he said.
Creating more opportunities for character actors on OTT
Joshi believes that the rise of OTT has radically changed the opportunities available to actors, especially those who are not traditionally considered major stars.
Asked if OTT has allowed character actors to create identities apart from supporting actors, he said, “100%. I think it has changed the way actors are talked about now. Otherwise, even people outside the industry will not feel very safe and secure. They will always have these doubts.”
“But now I think there’s this belief that, you know, if you have the talent, if you have that skill, and you’re trained and experienced, you’re going to get somewhere. That belief, because OTT has given so many opportunities, they’ve created so many jobs,” he added.
According to Joshi, the impact of OTT extends beyond actors to writers and storytellers.
“So, definitely, it’s changed the whole environment for the better, I would say. Because we see all kinds of stories. Even for storytellers, not just actors, see the kind of stories that we get to see. We all want something new, something new.”
He cites Jaideep Ahlawat’s Patal Lok character Hathiram Chaudhary as an example of becoming a major star through a character-driven OTT show.
He shared, “For the actors, it’s great. For example, Jaideep Ahlawat shines through Hathiram – he’s a huge star now. Absolutely. Success was Patal Lok. And there was no definition of hero or lead.”
Joshi also cited Mirzapur as an example of making stars through OTT and eventually taking a successful franchise to the big screen.
He added, “And for Mirzapur to become an OTT show now that has turned into such a successful theatrical film, and then you will see that there are no big stars, so to speak. The stars were made by Mirzapur on OTT.”
Describing it as an exciting phase for the industry, the actor concluded, “It’s a very exciting phase, and there’s a little more protection for actors than before. There are definitely more expectations. One can really hope that these actors will be given more varied, diverse roles.”