Bhanu Uday, best known for his turn as ACP Aryan Khanna in the television show Special, is exploring the digital space. He is currently seen in the series, Crash Course. It revolves around the rivalry between two coaching institutes and its consequences on the students.
Talking about the series, Bhanu says, “I play one of the owners of an institute. There is a rat race among students but you don't know the forces that are running your lives. For the owners, it’s just business and how students get caught in the web. There are fights, heartbreaks, etc. The pressures that students are going through have been depicted well. The story is knit quite beautifully and the writers have authentically created it thus making the content universal.”
The series, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, also stars Annu Kapoor and Udit Arora. Talking about working with the veteran actor, Bhanu says, “I had heard stories and went on sets with great fear. However, he was cooperative and supportive. He makes one feel so comfortable that you can enact your character to the best of your abilities.”
The OTT platform has proved to be a boon for many who got a chance to show off their skills. Ask him if the digital space is giving several stars a run for their money, and pat comes the reply, “I don’t know if we are giving a tough competition to our stars. But trained actors, who have worked on their craft, have done great. It’s an absolute boon for all of us.”
Bhanu is a National School of Drama alumni and started his acting career as a theatre actor. “Acting is not my profession but my calling I feel. I have been fortunate to have experimented with all the genres — TV, films and now web series.”
Does he plan to go back to theatre? “Whenever you feel you are getting stagnant in your craft, you will feel like going back to theatre. I have done a lot of theatre-based workshops. That’s how I hone my craft as an actor. Theatre has always been an integral of my life. You learn how to act only on the stage. And, that is where you have to go back to keep refreshing yourself and do better. I intend to do this for the rest of my life,” Bhanu says.
On a parting note, Bhanu speaks about not letting fame and success affect your career choices. “It’s seductive — fame and success. Every big star has started his/her journey as an actor. When stars remain in that zone they end up ruining their careers, which is dangerous. We all want success but as long as we have our heads on our shoulders and work hard it's fine. How successful you are is determined by the audience. The world will tag you successful at a time and detach you from it later. You can’t take your life ahead based on their predictions. You have to decide whether you have done good or bad work, make a concrete decision and then proceed,” he signs off.
