Anant Joshi opens up about stepping into a new role and finding his place one character at a time

There’s a pause over the line as Anant Joshi takes a second to mull over a question. You know he’s thinking because you can almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he recalls what it was like to be on the set of Gullak when he stepped into the role of Anand Mishra in its fifth season.

“It was almost like a lucid dream,” he laughs. “I had seen this set for four seasons on my screen, and suddenly I was inside it.” With Gullak, there were moments during filming when he had to remind himself that he wasn’t simply an observer. “I would tell myself, ‘No, I’m not watching them perform. I’m part of this. I have to respond.’”

Stepping into a character that was already beloved by audiences came with its own pressures, with Anant replacing Vaibhav Raj Gupta on the show. But for the actor, the challenge was never about recreating what had come before.“I was hoping that the expectation was not for me to mimic Vaibhav because that’s not something I’d like to do,” he says.

Instead, he focused on understanding why audiences had connected so deeply with the character. “I just wanted to live the character the way it is written. It is written very beautifully.”

Fortunately, joining an established cast didn’t feel like entering unfamiliar territory. Anant had already worked with several of his co-stars and that existing camaraderie allowed him to settle into the cast’s dynamic with ease.

Whether it was his role in 12th Fail, Kathal or Maamla Legal Hai, the actor has built a career not by chasing attention, but by trusting the story. However, across projects as varied as they come, his approach to his roles remains surprisingly uncomplicated. “I’ve always wanted to be honest to the character and my surroundings,” he explains.

If a performance demands attention, Anant believes the writing will naturally make room for it. His responsibility is simply to serve what’s on the page. More than performing for viewers, he now finds himself performing for the people creating the story. “I’m a director’s actor,” he says matter-of-factly. “I would make my choices, but I’d always let the director decide which one serves the story best.”

For someone who has portrayed vastly different characters over the years, Anant doesn’t believe there’s a formula for transformation. “The most romantic thing about my profession is that the character comes to you,” he adds.

Currently, he’s taking in the response to his performance in Gullak. “I’m just so grateful about the show and the way it has turned out, the kind of feedback I’m getting, not only from the audience but also from the industry,” he says.

There are few things more gratifying than watching someone who lives and breathes their craft practise it with such unbridled joy. And with the Netflix series Chumbak and the theatrical release Eetha on the horizon, it seems we’ll be seeing plenty more of Anant on our screens.

Gullak season 5 is streaming on Sony LIV.

Email: anikagomez@newindianexpress.com

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