To Anant V Joshi, Kathal feels like the result of his hard work of years. After foraying into showbiz in 2011, the actor featured in several television shows and web offerings, including Virgin Bhasskar, and Cobalt Blue (2022), before landing the Sanya Malhotra-starrer. The Netflix satire revolves around a small-town police officer who is assigned a case of missing jackfruits.

“I [was called for] a screen test. They shared all the details of the project, including that it’s based on a true story. I saw the clip of the incident, and couldn’t believe it was real. That was my main kick,” says Joshi, who found a perfect collaborator in debutant director Yashowardhan Mishra.

“Yasho told me that he found me honest in my audition. During all these years, I never worked towards fame or popularity. I was focused on doing good work. After this film, my belief has only got stronger about wanting to work with talented people and telling good stories.”

The actor is all praise for his co-star Malhotra. Admitting that he was under the impression that movie stars carry huge egos on sets, Joshi says his perception was challenged by her work ethic. “Sanya is so grounded and giving. She is dedicated and extremely hard-working. She would always be on set on time, would do her homework, and have her heart in the right place.”