‘The Big Stars Are Feeling The Heat’

‘The
money
crunch
will
be
there
for
people
who
are
used
to
having
a
certain
kind
of
remuneration.’
‘Work
opportunities
are
less,
even
for
technicians
who
work
in
the
industry.’

Anshumaan
Pushkar
had
come
to
Mumbai
with
a
simple
plan.

The
Bihar
boy
enrolled
for
an
MBA
degree,
while
simultaneously
trying
out
his
luck
in
films.

The
MBA
was
a
safety
net
in
case
films
did
not
work
out
for
him.

He
got
a
breakthrough
with

Jamtara:
Sabka
Number
Ayega,
the
2020
Netflix
series
that
was
praised
for
its
ensemble
cast.

The
actor
became
popular
through
his
work
in
shows
like

Kathmandu
Connection
and

Grahan
that
led
to
his
first
mainstream
outing,

12th
Fail.

Anshumaan’s
second
theatrical
release
is

Maalik,
in
which
he
plays
Rajkummar
Rao’s
aide.

“The
industry
is
harsh,
but
everyone’s
life
has
struggles.
You
have
to
keep
going
on.
A
friend
said
something
beautiful
to
me:
‘Hona
hain
toh
hoga,
agar
tu
nahin
karega
toh
pakka
nahin
hoga‘,”
Anshumaan
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.

What
have
the
last
few
days
been
like
since

Maalik
released?

Audiences
are
liking
the
film,
that
is
the
ultimate
goal
for
an
actor.

As
an
actor,
you
aspire
to
do
these
things.
The
good
comments
help.

I’m
feeling
satisfied
that
audiences
are
liking
it.

What’s
your
favourite
memory
from
the
sets
of

Maalik?

The
first
reading.

That’s
the
first
time
you’re
reading
the
character,
understanding
the
nuances
of
it,
and
understanding
the
overall
characteristics.

It
is
very
intriguing
for
me.

When
I
went
for
the
first
reading,
(Director)
Pulkit
sir
narrated
the
whole
story.

He
was
already
sure
that
I
am
going
to
be
this
character.
This
was
the
first
time
anybody
had
cast
me
like
this.

Also,
the
fact
that
I
got
to
work
alongside
Rajbhai
(Rajkummar
Rao),
whom
I
admire
as
an
actor.

I
got
to
learn
so
much
from
him
during
the
shoot.

In
one
of
your
podcasts,
you
spoke
about
the
importance
of
hard
work
and
luck.
Patience
is
a
key
element
too
because
yours
wasn’t
an
overnight
success.
How
did
you
make
it
work?

You
have
to
have
patience
because
only
then
can
you
be
truthful
to
your
craft.

When
I
was
doing
theatre,
somebody
came
to
me
and
said
I
was
outstanding
in
my
character.

Comments
like
that
made
me
reach
here
because
that
gave
me
the
courage
to
keep
going.

The
industry
is
harsh,
but
everyone’s
life
has
struggles.

A
friend
said
something
beautiful
to
me,
‘Hona
hain
toh
hoga,
agar
tu
nahin
karega
toh
pakka
nahin
hoga.’

You
come
from
a
small
place,
you
see
a
dream
and
then
go
through
a
journey
to
reach
your
destination.

In
that
journey,
you
achieve
beautiful
things
as
you
also
overcome
hurdles.

That
is
when
you
call
your
life
special.
I
don’t
call
it
struggle.

You
came
to
Mumbai
to
do
an
MBA,
but
you
eventually
got
into
acting.
What
gave
you
confidence
to
make
this
switch?

I
wanted
to
come
to
Mumbai,
that’s
why
I
opted
for
MBA.

It
was
a
side
option
in
case
things
did
not
work
out
for
me
in
Bollywood.

I
completed
my
MBA,
and
there
was
a
job
offer.

It
was
a
period
when
I
had
nothing.
I
was
struggling
to
pay
my
rent.
My
MBA
friends
were
earning
salary
in
lakhs.

But
the
acting
world
was
always
interesting
for
me.

My
family
supported
me
a
lot
and
even
sheltered
me
from
vicious
comments
from
people.

Your
IMDb
page
says
you
come
from
a
family
of
‘film
enthusiasts’.
Did
you
grow
up
watching
a
lot
of
movies?

I
come
from
a
rural,
humble
background.

Cinema
is
a
part
of
the
weekend
happiness
for
them.

Recently,
I
got
to
know
that
one
of
my
uncles,
who
has
passed
away,
performed
before
President
Rajendra
Prasad
in
his
house
back
in
the
day.

Everybody
at
home
loves
cinema.

My
brother
watches
more
films
than
me.

I
have
to
match
his
expectations.
He
is
my
biggest
critic.

We
have
some
fantastic
actors
hailing
from
Bihar,
like
Manoj
Bajpayee,
Sanjay
Mishra,
Pankaj
Tripathi.
Have
you
ever
met
them?

I
have
met
Manoj
sir
twice.
Once
at
some
awards
show,
and
later
in
Goa
at
IFFI.

There
was
an
instant
Bihari
connection
there,
but
we
had
a
short
conversation.

Someday,
I
want
to
sit
with
him
and
learn
more
about
this
craft.

I
have
worked
with
Sanjay
Mishra
sir.

During
the
shoot,
there
was
a
gap
and
I
was
going
to
Bihar.
He
asked
me
to
bring

sattu
(roasted
chickpea
flour)
from
there.

Somehow,
you
find
such
connections
and
it
is
beautiful.

Who
are
your
mentors
in
the
industry?

My
brother
is
my
mentor.

Then,
there’s
Nadira
ma’am
(Babbar,
of
the
Ekjute
theatre
group)
my
teacher
from
the
theatre
days.

Amit
Sial
is
very
dear
to
me;
I
have
worked
with
him
in
three
projects.

He
gave
me
good
insights
on
the
industry
because
he
is
a
senior
and
has
an
understanding.

The
same
goes
for
Rajbhai
(Rajkummar
Rao)
during

Maalik.

Whenever
you
do
a
project
with
senior
actors,
you
get
to
learn
so
much.

Bollywood
is
going
through
rough
phase
right
now.
The
A-listers
stay
afloat,
but
the
small
actors
have
to
face
the
brunt,
be
it
with
money
or
opportunities.
What
has
been
your
experience?

Everyone
is
facing
this
problem.
There
is
definitely
a
struggle.

Yes,
apart
from
the
A-listers,
everybody
gets
affected.
But
even
the
big
stars
are
feeling
the
heat.

The
money
crunch
will
be
there
for
people
who
are
used
to
having
a
certain
kind
of
remuneration.

Work
opportunities
are
less,
even
formtechnicians
who
work
in
the
industry.