Actor Gaurav Khanna, who plays the role of Anuj Kapadia in Deepa Shahi and Rajan Shahi’s show Anupamaa, loves his character. Despite it being one of his toughest, he says that there are so many other shows who have tried to emulate Anuj into their stories, and that elevates the significance of Anuj’s character.
“As far as Anuj’s character graph goes, it’s always full of surprises. The viewers wait for the drama Anuj brings to the show. Of course, he is a very righteous and straightforward character. He does not like to mince his words, he tries to keep his emotions in check, he does not like to show his vulnerable side often. He is a stable-headed guy, he knows what he is doing, and even a person like that under tremendous opposite circumstances can also go slightly haywire. He doesn’t understand what he is doing. He’s trying to bridge all the gaps in his life. He’s trying to get his daughter on the same page with him, his ex-wife. He’s trying to mend bridges between his heart and his mind. Of course, he has only loved just one individual all his life, and to suddenly get up one day and know that person is leaving him and his daughter and walking away without any detailed reasoning, has left a mark on his psyche, and he just can’t understand why,” he says.
He adds, “Though he is a practical guy, he understands that life moves on and he is not required in the other person’s life anymore, but he is overburdened by the emotions in his heart for the individual he has always longed for. And this is a very beautiful character. He is the right man at the wrong place at the wrong time, if I may put it, because all he wanted was only the best for the person he loved in his life, and he has always strived hard for it, be it his life ways and his business ways. He has always wanted the other person to understand, and he has always given the benefit of doubt to the other person initially. But then when such a person is cornered and he is stuck between his heart and his mind, between his daughter and his ex, that’s when the beautiful nuance of this character comes forward, and this is what the viewers love.”
Gaurav says that Anuj is one of the most challenging roles that he has played in his life. He is stuck. He is being stretched in two polar opposite directions. And as an actor, I am very lucky that Rajan sir has given me this opportunity, and I am thankful that he has trusted me with such a difficult character to play. It seems very simple on the surface, but trust me, this is one of the toughest characters that I have played so far. Television is generally women-driven and for a male actor to get such characters with so many layers, with so many interpersonal emotions attached and so many nuances, it’s incredible,” he says.
He adds that he feels lucky to be able to play this role. “I am lucky that Rajan sir trusts me as an actor. He has enlarged the envelope for the character Anuj, be it his wheelchair journey, be it his separation from his wife and then bringing up his daughter, then daughter in her teenage, then a solo father, single father. It’s a wonderful character, and very few male actors on TV, at least in India, have got to play such characters. I really can’t thank Rajan sir for this opportunity. As a character, now this Anuj persona has become so famous that so many shows, even Rajan said this in an interview, have a similar Anuj character. I feel very happy when I see this happening, it immediately takes Anuj to a new different level,” he says.
Meanwhile, he adds that Anupamaa as a show is loved because it’s so realistic. “As the show Anupamas is considered to be a very realistic show. It’s based on interpersonal relationships of the characters involved in the show. It’s been appreciated by the audience worldwide. The audience loves the struggle of the protagonist, and how the protagonist overcomes all the hardships in her life. All the characters which come into the protagonist’s life are also interesting in terms of how they take the story forward, along with the protagonist. It’s a beautiful story of personal relationships, emotions, ideas and different understandings, everything is woven into one big show. You might feel that this storyline has been seen before. But this is what the audience loves to watch. In our personal lives also we live lives similarly to what we have lived in the past at times. It’s not always something new in life, sometimes you have to be repetitive in life and that is what beauty is,” he says.
