Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega season 2 actor Anshumaan Pushkar: 'OTT is a better medium to showcase acting potential'

Actor Anshumaan Pushkar, who is best known for his performances in Grahan and Kathmandu Connection, is thrilled about the release of his recent show Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega season 2. In an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal the actor spills the beans about his recent show, current OTT scenario, and more.

When asked about being an actor who is working on varied shows and diverse roles, Anshumaan shares, “I have learned with my co-actors, directors and writers. I take care of the variety when roles come to me and I don’t want to get typecast. I feel nothing is impossible as an actor.”

Sharing further on the scope of performing on OTT since it has an episodic format, he shares, “I believe characters on OTT are much more layered than in films since, as an actor, I get more screen space to perform. A film generally requires 2-3 months to shoot for a 2-hour film, but an OTT show generally takes a month and a half to wrap up. OTT is a better medium to showcase acting potential.”

The Jamtara... franchise deals with the fraud rackets that mint money by making calls to people. When asked if he has faced the same in real life, he reveals, “When Jamtara... was released during lockdown, I got a call from a guy called Rinku Mandal, whose name the makers used in Jamtara... as their central character. He told me he would find new ways to prank people when I informed him that I had watched Jamtara... I tried to understand his mentality and what he was going through. But my family members have been pranked. Our cyber cell law is very weak. The refund is next to impossible. My brother got a refund of Rupees 73,000 from the bank since he luckily didn’t give the OTP.”

Anshumaan, who is originally from Patna, Bihar, aspires to play more and more roles in his hometown. ”A director wants his actor to belong from the region where the narrative is set, to get the portrayal authentic and real. Along with Jamtara, my role in Grahan also belonged to Bihar. Even though my next project is based out there, I am only concerned that I shouldn’t be typecast in the roles set in Bihar,” he adds.

On a parting note, he strongly feels that big screen charm will never fade away. “However, the big screen scenario is slightly shaky at the moment but I became an actor to see myself on a 70mm screen but OTT has changed the scenario for everyone, even Manoj Bajpayee’s second innings kicked off through The Family Man franchise,” he concludes.