Despite completing 15 years in Hindi cinema and earning international acclaim with The White Tiger, actor Adarsh Gourav isn’t interested in chasing the typical Bollywood hustle. As he gears up for his Telugu film debut this year, Adarsh admits he’s perfectly content doing just two or three films annually — as long as they excite him.

“I don’t want to work just for the sake of it,” he says. “If something excites me, sure — but you end up spending months investing in a character, so a lot depends on the headspace you’re in.”

At 30, the actor — who also stars in Bejoy Nambiar’s Tu Yaa Main alongside Shanaya Kapoor — believes in leading life with balance and intention.

“Main agar saal mein 2 filmein bhi kar lun, wo mere liye bahut hai. I’m more invested in living life fully and doing things I genuinely enjoy outside of acting. Acting is one of my passions, and I’m extremely grateful for every opportunity I get. But there are many other things that nourish my soul. Even if I don’t work for two or three months, I don’t panic or lose my mind,” he shares candidly.

So what fuels his spirit beyond cinema? “Music, travelling, spending time with my cat and my girlfriend, meeting my parents, hanging out with my brother... I love all of it,” he smiles.

Interestingly, Adarsh’s Telugu debut also marks a return to his roots — his mother tongue is Telugu. But his cinematic curiosity doesn’t stop there. “I had such a great time working on this Telugu film. I really want to work in Malayalam cinema too. I’ve even started picking up some Malayalam, just so I’m ready if an opportunity arises.”

On working with Shanaya Kapoor, who’s awaiting the release of her first two films, Adarsh is all praise: “She’s very cool and relaxed. We were mostly just joking about how hot the water looked while we were actually freezing during the shoot!”

And was there any sense of hierarchy on set, given Shanaya is relatively new? “Not at all,” Adarsh says firmly. “For me, there’s no senior or junior. I only worked with her during the announcement video shoot, and it was super chill. She was easy to get along with, and I’m genuinely excited to work with her again.”