“Nudity Is Also A Part And Parcel Of Acting,”- Anuja Joshi

In this informal interview, ANUJA JOSHI the niece of Pallavi Joshi and daughter of Master Alankar and the leading lady of the web series Hello Mini tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that it is her goal to work in Hollywood especially since she is hailing USA where she had learnt acting.

What was your role in MX Players show Hello Mini?

I played a girl called Mini who is being stalked by a guy. I hail from USA. I am the daughter of former actor Alankar Joshi who was better known as Master Alankar in the 70’s.

What was the advice that your dad gave you when you expressed your desire to him to take up acting like him and your aunt Pallavi Joshi?

My dad told me that if I wanted to work as an artist in the artistic field, I should make sure that I am excellent and also ready to be a part and parcel of it. I have been part of a lot of plays on stage. Dad also asked me to be very strong and be the best in whatever I set out to do in life.

How tough or easy was it for you to get a break in Hello Mini?

Let me be very honest with you. I have been struggling for a long time to be an actress. In fact, I had even worked as a waitress to pay for my rent and also auditioned for all my roles till date. I have literally grown up around people in the film industry.

Besides you, who else from your family has taken up acting in your footsteps?

Besides me, my twin sister Anisha Joshi also is into acting in a big way. She has acted in films like Simran and Junooniyat too.

What is your role in Broken But beautiful Season 2?

.Rewinding exactly a year ago, ALTBalaji regaled its viewers with the heart touching story of Veer and Sameera in Broken But Beautiful, starring Vikrant Massey and Harleen Seethi, as the show traced the lives of these two individuals who try to move on from their disturbed past.  Through a series of events Veer and Sameera cross paths and lift-up each other from their situation. Veer and Debbie do the business of wine together. While they realize they are falling for each other, they decide to distance themselves and part ways. Season 2 of this most loved series picks it up from where it left. I play Debbie who enters Vikrant’s life in Season 2

Tell me something more about Debbie?

Debbie is a dear friend of Veer, (Vikrant Massey) who is a very uninhibited and unconventional girl, who arrives like a breath of fresh air in veer’s life which is very dreary. She is a professional Sommelier, who likes her wine like her men, unconventional and intriguing. She is like a big tornado and I could connect with the role especially because I am in real life a very empathetic person. I am sure she will definitely take Veer and Sameera's (Harleen Sethi) story to a new level and fans will surely love her.

Did you make it a point to watch all the episodes of the Season One of Broken But beautiful to get the feel of the things before you decided to act in the serial?

No. I did not watch any of the earlier episodes because I wanted to start on a clean slate my work in Broken But Beautiful because I felt that if I get attached to the characters in the Season one, I would not have been be able to be objective.

In what way do you think the scenario has changed in Bollywood as well as the television industry today?

The scenario has definitely changed a lot. I am a girl who had grown up in the 90’s, drooled over Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and their dances in their films but today the content in Hindi Cinema as well as TV has changed beyond means and there is greater emphasis on  content than ever before.

How has your aunt Pallavi Joshi reacted to your success in the web series Hello Mini?

Pallavi Athya is so proud of me. I’d say that she has been a pillar in my life. I have cried on her lap several times. I did not ask her to help me in her career by using her contacts but only asked for her blessings for me. She has advised me to figure out my own path in the industry, because as she puts it, it is my job to figure out what I can do and how. I am still trying to figure it out, you see. I have always looked at her as a huge inspiration for me but I do not want the luggage of Pallavi Athya to take me forward because I want to make it on my own steam. Do you believe that I had completed my work in Broken but Beautiful Season 2 even before I bagged Hello Mini? Rose Films and Applause were the frist tom offer me work when I set my foot in Mumbai. I always look at work as a huge honor and feel that women like Ekta Kapoor do not reach the kind of heights’ that they have reached without doing hard work.

What kind of films do you want to be part of?

I am a trained actor and hence I am open to all kinds of films and all kinds of roles that are offered to me as an actor. Though it would definitely sound very clichéd, I’d like to say that I had always wanted to be an actor all the time. As a creative person, I have also learnt Kuchipudi, besides acting. I want to play the role of a Chef. Hello Mini was a heavy drama but let me tell you that besides doing intense roles in serious films, I also would love to appear in fancy costumes in some films. I am open to be a part of Season 2 of Hello Mini too.

You have done a lot of bold scenes including having lip locks with a girl as well as different boys in Hello Mini. How open are you for doing bold scenes which require nudity?

I have absolutely no issues as far as doing bold scenes is concerned whether it is a web series or for that matter a film. I feel that intimacy is also a part of human life. Why should we not be honest about life as such? I’d say without any hesitation that nudity per se is also a part and parcel of acting. I hail from a progressive family as my dad is a Maharashtrian and my mom is a Nepali

Who are your favorite actors in Bollywood?

Alia Bhatt is a fire cracker. I love Taapse Pannu too.

Which are the directors who are in your wish list?

Zoya Akhtar, who I feel is very incredible as an director, Mira Nair who has  already mentored me in a film of hers  and last but not the least Rajkumar Hirani are the three directors who are in  my wish list. I would also love to work with directors from Hollywood as it is my biggest goal especially since I come from US.

For more Bollywood updates, follow Bollyy!

Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Anuja Joshi, Interview