Anshuman Jha On Why He Has Opted To Do A Web Series

In spite of being in  the entertainment industry for 8 years Anshuman Jhan who started his career in films with Dibakar Bannerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dokha and went  on to well-received roles in  Chauranga and  Yeh Hai Bakrapur is finally doing television.

Revealing details Anshuman says, “It’s called Babbar Ka Tabbar .It is set in East Delhi where a tenant called Jamiya ,that’s my character, has taken over the Babbar family’s Parchatti(Terrace Room). And how they let him be because he solves their day to day problems in his own quirky way.”

 So why did Anushuman wait this  long to do television? “I’d say there is no difference between cinema  and television in today’s times. Even Meryl Streep is  doing Big Little Lies for HBO. I would love to do TV as well , if the quality of script offered to me challenges me. Unfortunately whatever has been offered to me hasn’t. And the script is sacrosanct to me.”

  Anushman has earlier rejected tv opportunities.  “I have refused two web shows before this but this one instinctively hooked me.It’s the only show on the new  channel Zee5’s launch program with two seasons,that is  a total of  24 episodes. Everything else is only one season as of now with 12 episodes or less.Having stayed away from TV all these years and having refused to get on the digital bandwagon till now, this was a script  a character which I couldn’t refuse.”

 Anshuman  will also be seen playing his  most violent  role in  his next feature film. “It’s a dark Indie film titled Midnight Delhidirected by Rakesh Rawat. It’s my most violent role to date.It’s about one night in Delhi  and if I may say so, it is damned gory.The film is very dark, aggressive and my character is extremely violent.”

Other feature  films on Anshuman’s card include Harish Vyas’ Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain.  “It  releases this summer . It’s got SanjaiMishra, me and the actress Shivani Raghuvanshi from Kanu Behl’s Titli opposite me. In addition I’ll be seen in Academy Award Nominee Ashvin Kumar’s Kashmir-based  Noor which will be out post June 2018. I am also shooting for a Romeo & Juliet adaptation Ishwar which is Directed by Imtiaz Ali’s Associate Pradeep.”

 It looks like  a busy year for Anshuman.

“Yes,” he concedes. “It’s a struggle to  do quality work only, when you are an outsider  in the Mumbai film industry with no powerful connections.But I am  determined  to slog it out.I am convinced hard work always pays.”