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Aneesha Joshi is a rising dancer and actress who was brought up in the US but currently based in Mumbai. Aneesha hopes to be one of the many emerging artists bridging the gap between Indian and American arts and entertainment, while also creating cultural communication. She currently has an major international project called “I’ll Meet You There” coming up – read all about it here!
We had a chat with Aneesha about the milestones in her journey to becoming a successful actress.
1. What was your childhood like? When were you first introduced to dance?
I was lucky to be raised in an extremely artistic family. From before I could remember I was exposed to music, dance, and cinema through my father, my aunt and uncle as well as my cousins. Being from a film family, it was never a question that I would have an artistic education as part of my upbringing; it was practically assumed! I’m so grateful for my exposure to fine arts education from such a young age. My love for dance sparked around the age of 4 and I was enrolled in ballet jazz as well as Bharatnatyam and Kathak classes. My parents wanted to make sure that if I were to pursue dance, that I had a holistic education in it.
Aneesha with her twin sister, Anuja Joshi
2. What drove you to make the big move from US to Mumbai?
I graduated from Boston university (major in International Relations- Global Business and Economics with a concentration in East Asian market studies… nerdy I know!) one semester early. I had overloaded and suddenly found myself with a job offer at a marketing firm. However, they were not going to get me onboard until about 9 months later, due to my early graduation! I decided to go to Mumbai with a “just for fun” mindset during that time. Soon thereafter I auditioned for and booked three television commercials and a film not too long after. I cancelled my return ticket and honestly never looked back.
3. Do you have any exciting upcoming projects that we can look forward to?
I have a few exciting projects coming up that I’m unfortunately unable to comment on. I’m hoping to get back to work on them as soon as the state of emergency is lifted, as I’m sure many of us are!
4. Tell us about the film heartbeats. What was your experience as a lead actor in the film?
Heartbeats was and always will be a very special film to me. It was one of my first experiences as an actor on a Hollywood project with such high caliber performers and technicians surrounding me. I found myself fighting very hard to level up to the expectations that came with the job and I grew as a performer immensely.
5. How has COVID-19 affected your plans for this year?
COVID-19 has shaken up all of us. The entertainment industry has blacked out and many of us artists are also struggling to keep ourselves motivated and inspired with a lot of downtime suddenly. I try to look on the bright side and I realize that this time is truly unprecedented. I believe our focus needs to be on flattening the curve and containing a spread while our brave front line workers and first responders risk their lives to keep us all safe. The movies can wait, for now.
6. What’s your favorite style of dance?
My favorite style of dance is a hard choice to make! However, lately I’ve been really inspired by Latin ballroom… I need to work on my footwork though!
7. How did you land a role as dancer in Padmaavat’s Binte Dil?
Binte dil was one of those surreal moments for me. My manager at KWAN called me when I was at a restaurant with my roommate for dinner and asked me to send videos of me dancing and professional photos to her immediately! It wasn’t hardly 10 minutes before I was confirmed for the job. I hadn’t even gotten my entreé before I got a text from Bhansali Productions saying “Welcome to Team Padmavat, Aneesha” and I was floored!
8. Give us a quick run-through of your skin-care routine.
My skincare routine is a question I get asked often because I’m such a skincare freak! To be honest there’s no real quick run through, I take my time and research many different products and techniques, as well as get some really nourishing treatments from time to time. However, I will say I’m really obsessed with Korean skincare products and I ADORE the ten step routine!
9. How do you spend your free time?
I’m a really bad relaxer. My family often teases me about it. I’m of the opinion that an idle mind leads to unproductive thoughts, so I try to keep myself engaged, alert, and learning something new as often as I can. Lately I’ve been really into reading classic novels. I’m about to finish The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte and I am engulfed in the rich details and quiet drama!
10. What’s your advice for people leaning towards the arts?
For anyone that’s looking towards pursuing a career in the arts, I say go for it. If you’ve had the thought to do this full time, you might just be crazy enough to commit to it! Faith, perseverance, patience, hard work, and curiosity will take you a long way. Just remember why you wanted to do this in the first place, and things generally work out!
