It was right after his Class 10 board examinations that actor Anant Vidhaat—he is known for his roles in Gunday and Sultan—admitted his aspiration of becoming an actor to his parents. As a child, Anant would often participate in various school plays and enjoyed mimicking people. His ambition received his parents’ unconditional support. In fact, his father enrolled him in National School of Drama’s (NSD) Theatre in Education programme— an initiative first launched in 1989 wherein students get to work with actors and teachers from NSD. Thus began Anant’s journey of achieving his dreams.
In this week’s ‘City on My Mind’, we speak to the artist, who is currently riding high after the success of the thriller series Mai, about how the time he spent in Delhi moulded him as an actor.
An ardent learner
Born in Gwalior, Anant and his family moved to Delhi when he was in class 2. “The years of having fun, developing as an individual, learning—all that happened in Delhi,” he tells us. Since he was adept at mimicking those around him, Anant has a great humorous bent, which is visible in the many characters he has played on screen.
His talent was further polished when he joined Kirori Mal College, North Campus, and became a part of their theatre society named Players. “I had a friend, who was a year senior… he told me about the college and this society. I got admission through extracurriculars itself. The graduation life, Anant mentions, was all about creating and staging plays on several occasions.
“I was a BCom Honours student. There were people from different backgrounds such as English, Political Science, etc., in the society, but we would say we are actually pursuing Players’ Honours (laughs),” he says, further adding how he has performed at many events of prestigious colleges such as IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai, and BITS Pilani. “It used to be a lot of fun; travelling and meeting so many people. It was a very enriching experience for me,” he shares.
Rooted in nostalgia
Attributing his artistic journey to the varied culture he came across in Delhi, Anant says, “The city has a lot of colour… there’s an upbeat rhythm to it. This really helped me nurture my talent. It is because Delhi has this theatre culture and heritage that it was possible for me to pursue acting.”
Anant mentions he loves visiting the city—especially during winters. When he’s in the capital, he often goes back to his favourite places such as the North Campus, Kamla Nagar, Connaught Place (CP), Jama Masjid, among many other spots. “My relationship with this city is like visiting an old school friend… the nostalgia of that old friendship. The city brings a smile to my f ace,” he concludes.
QUICK 4:
Favourite place to hangout: Connaught Place, it has a lot of options and there are many places nearby if you have a change of plans. Also, Lodhi Road because we would perform a lot at India Habitat Centre.
Favourite street food: Cholle Bhature; nowhere in the world will you find the kind you find in Delhi
Favourite monument: India Gate
A lesson the city taught you: Delhi is full of colour, so many people come together. It has taught me to be forthcoming.