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Having done films like Love Sex Aur Dokha, Fugly, Yeh Hai Bakrapur, Mona Darling, Pari and many more and after doing many commercials, actor Anshuman Jha has taken a step into the digital world with ZEE5’s Babbar Ka Tabbar.
UrbanAsian got a chance to interview Anshuman Jha, where he spoke about his debut in the digital platform with Babbar Ka Tabbar and about how he loved working with ZEE5.
Read out here:
- What is your character about in Babbar Ka Tabbar?
Well, his name is Jamiah and was have been a student at some point in time but now he is not studying. He is a tenant at a Punjabi family household. He doesn’t pay the rent, he eats their food, lives with them and he has become a part of their family in a way and the only reason they are letting him stay with them is that he solves their issues in a quirky way. So he is a bit of a hippy, genius, aloof. So it is a very contradictory character in a complex way.
- What was your reaction when you heard the title Babbar Ka Tabbar?
Well, to be honest, there were many titles when we started. To begin with it was called upar waala sab jaanta hai, which was in relation to Jamiah being the problem solver, then there was a title as Prajapatis but actually, Babbar Ka Tabbar was the perfect title because it was a Punjabi household and you associate Babbar to Punjabi’s and Tabbar means family. It is about a very sweet family where the parents’ generation and the kids’ generation cannot communicate well because of the generation gap. So basically it is about how the Babbar’s take care of their Tabbars. It is a very apt title for the show.
- How was it working with ZEE5?
To be honest, this is the third web show that I have been offered. The reason I took this up was for two reasons.
- The script and the producers were willing to associate. I like good preparation in terms of when I start out something and they were willing to give me that time. You won’t, believe me, we shot for 2 months. But before that for one full month, we were literally detailing, fighting on how Jamiah will look, what he will wear. Also, I am not a smoker but Jamiah is mostly high on various things.
- The second big reason was ZEE5 because as a platform ZEE5 has a very huge audience and I think the time has come when the gradual shift if the television audience will come on the digital medium. It is already happening and they are investing in some really good regional content.
We have shot for 2 seasons. But now they have launched only 6 episodes of the 1st season, another 6 episodes might come out this month and the 2nd season maybe the next month, I am not sure about it.
- How is working in digital platform different than working in cinema and theatre?
I really believe that every medium is its own beast. So I never looked at the theatre as my stepping stones to films and I have never connected them. I look at them as an individual. There is a common factor in both stories but the medium is very different. I really believe that a stage is an actor’s medium. Cinema is a director’s medium. Digital I feel, it’s the best of both worlds. For me, the process is very important and I said before that I had time to prepare, so for me, it was a very good learning experience.
- Do digital platforms play an important role in the life of artists nowadays?
I am nobody to comment on it generically. It is one’s personal choice. Like I never wanted to do television but I respect people who do. I have a simple rule in life. I do what I see. I don’t watch TV shows and reality shows hence I don’t do them. Digital is a very important platform now because of the reach. But to each it’s own. There are also amazing stories being told on digital platforms.
- What’s next?
You have 2 seasons of Babbar Ka Tabbar. I have a Hindi film called Midnight Delhi, which will premiere soon and also nominated Ashwin Kumari’s next film, it has been shot in Kashmir. A romantic film with Tanishta Chatterjee.
