As more and more details about the newly released 5th season of ‘Gullak’ were revealed, it was also confirmed that actor Anant V Joshi, who has appeared in projects such as ‘Maamla Legal Hai’ and ‘12th Fail’, will be replacing Vaibhav Raj Gupta. The actor took over the role of Annu Mishra after Gupta portrayed the character for the past 4 seasons. While talking about the casting change and joining the show, Joshi got candid and shared how he felt about everything.
Anant V Joshi on replacing Vaibhav Raj Gupta on ‘Gullak 5’
Joshi weighed in on the major change in the show while in conversation with Hindustan Times, citing that he went through a rigorous process before he started filming for the show. He also opened up about understanding the responsibility that comes with the role, since Annu Mishra is one of the lead roles in the OTT series.He shared, “It didn’t happen on the first day. Actually, you know, it was this whole process we had before even walking onto the set. We had multiple rounds of readings and then discussions with the makers before both of us could be very sure of the fact that we were moving on with such a big decision.”Not only that, but the actor also shared that despite everything, he wanted to make sure to bring his own iteration of Annu in the show, citing that the character was growing as a person, which is something that he wished to show himself. He added, “My intention was never to mimic somebody or to play someone the way someone else has played the character. Because the characters are so much in the writing itself.”He further added that since Annu’s character is evolving and this season, is stepping out into the “wild, wild world”, he wanted to portray the changes in his own way. Along with the changes, he also acknowledged that there is a part of the character that fans have come to know and love that he will not be letting go of. “Whenever he is at home, I made sure that the people who love Annu the way he was—I wanted to retain that,” he quipped, revealing just how dedicated he is to the role.
How Anant V Joshi feels about joining an already established character in ‘Gullak 5’
Joshi also cited the ‘exciting’ opportunity of joining the show’s fifth season, citing that it felt like normal for him. He added during the interview that, “This used to be a very dining room conversation, like Gullak. Having a call to play a character which is so important for this show, I think it was great excitement rather than being nervous.”
Why did Vaibhav Raj Gupta leave the series after 4 seasons
Last year, it was confirmed that with the arrival of ‘Gullak 5’, actor Vaibhav Raj Gupta will not be returning and will instead be replaced by Anant V Joshi. His character was recently introduced through a teaser video, which showed him spending time with his family. A voiceover was heard saying, “Inhen pehchana pata hai na kaun hai? dekhiye surat mein nahin naam pe jaiye। to inka naam hai anu mishra. Haan haan apne anu mishra shanti mishra aur santosh mishra ke ghar ke bade chirag” (Did you recognise him? Do you know who he is? Don’t focus on his face, but on his name. His name is Annu Mishra. Yes, the same Annu Mishra — the eldest son of Shanti Mishra and Santosh Mishra).As of right now, no proper reason has been cited behind Vaibhav Gupta’s departure from the latest season of ‘Gullak 5’, which is currently streaming on SonyLIV.
