Nov 13, 2026 5:10pm IST
TV Actor Ankit Gupta Reflects On How ‘There Is Too Much Typecasting In The Industry’ Ahead of The Upcoming ‘Mera Sindoor’ (EXCLUSIVE)
TV actor Ankit Gupta, best known for his work in popular daily soaps like “Sadda Haq,” “Begusarai” and the long-running “Udaariyaan,” is looking forward to yet another long-format show “Mera Sindoor.” The show is a remake of the blockbuster Bengali daily, “Khelaghor,” a romance between a goon and a lawyer’s daughter. Gupta, who earned immense popularity with “Udaariyaan” talks about his recent movie debut with “Tu Hai Meri Kiran,” his upcoming show “Mera Sindoor,” and the challenges before actors who want to play diverse roles.
Excerpts…
You made your film debut with Sonakshi Sinha’s ‘Tu Hai Meri Kiran,’ this October. How was the experience?
Sonakshi (Sinha) is a thorough professional and comes fully prepared on set. Even Zaheer (Iqbal) is like that. They made it very easy for me. I am glad that all the reviews I got for my performance were positive ones. The only gripe I have is that we did not get enough screens as 27 films were released the same day.
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With the TRP shutdown, there has been a sense of certainty in the industry. How do you navigate this?
Being choosy is never easy. There is too much typecasting in the industry. If a character works, everyone starts offering you similar roles. Nobody seems to imagine you as a bad guy if your righteous characters click with the audience. Seeking diverse characters is tough as the waiting period can be excruciatingly long. However, I do not stress much as I have done pretty decent work till now. By the grace of God, people from the industry and common people know well too.
As an introvert, how do you handle the social media scrutiny around actors?
Sometimes, it becomes very difficult because now everyone has access to social media. They have access to your life. People feel they have the right to say whatever they feel like to you. Sometimes it becomes very unfair. They forget that people, even actors, entertainers, artists, are also human beings. And sometimes they just like to be left alone. Any decision of yours is scrutinized. There are people who will be unhappy with you.
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We are seeing TV serials with limited episodes (50-60 episodes, max). Is this a good step for the industry?
I think it's a very good initiative. I saw the first episode of “108 Base Hospital - Uri” and liked it a lot. I feel that the earlier format – daily shows from Monday to Friday and then weekend shows – was a pretty good one. Daily soaps that run for seven days a week suffer in quality. You have to deliver one episode every day, then there is no time for creativity. So, I am in favor of this.
Post “Udaariyaan,” you featured in a couple of shows that did not run for very long. Did that bother you?
This is something I always think about, if a show becomes a hit, it's always a team effort. And if it is a flop, it's always the actor's fault.
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