After a whirlwind year featuring Maamla Legal Hai, Gullak, and now Chumbak, actor Anant V Joshi is ending 2026 on a high note Eetha.

Joshi calls it great phase of his career, “Of course it’s amazing, koi plan nahin thha, just like that the entire year gave me what actors wish for years.”

Reflecting on the projects, Joshi admits that the success didn’t come from a calculated strategy. “Of course it’s amazing, koi plan nahin, just like that the entire year gave me what actors wish for years,” he says. For an actor who has balanced gritty series and light-hearted roles, the consistency has been a pleasant surprise.

“It feels like a dream because with Maamla Legal Hai, Gullak, and now Chumbak, the kind of acceptance that everyone has received, iise badi himat aur umeed mili hai.”

With the first season of Chumbak out, the question of a third season arises. “While there is no official announcement, par ayega. We discuss it on our WhatsApp group every day, so now we know the next season will come soon. The consistent response that we are getting all the DMs, all the messages makes it feel like we will bring another season very soon.”

Joshi notes that the show’s open ending was a deliberate choice. “Yes, that was intentional. That means you can plan ahead, depending on how you get the response.”

“So, all the three series, two of them are already franchises. We will start to work on the next chapters in 2027; maza ayega.”

Known for slipping into distinct personas, from Parsi and Marathi characters to the eccentricities required for playing Chief Minister Yogi, Joshi says it's all about observation. “The most fun thing about being an actor is that he can live in some art and life... changing voices and adapting dialects is a very beautiful process,” he says.

He recalls working with maker Aatish Kapadia, who demanded full commitment to a character’s voice. “He didn’t want me to play a regular guy for Freddy; he said, ‘I want you to go ahead like full throttle.’ They wanted to create characters like Rosesh and Hansa that will be remembered for their voices and style of speaking.”

Ultimately, for Joshi, acting is a human endeavour rooted in watching the world. “I rely majorly on observations,” he adds, “because humans are mimicking in the animal kingdom, that is very natural.”

Joshi is set to close the year on the big screen with Eetha, starring alongside Shraddha Kapoor. It’s a transition he is eagerly anticipating. “A theatrical release is very special because of that response, that nervousness, how it’s going to be at the box office... it gives a perfect theatrical release,” he explains. 

After a year defined by OTT successes, he views the shift as a natural progression. “I think it’s a creative role, it’s not a medium role. In India, the love for the silver screen is always there.”

On his co-star Shraddha Kapoor in the film, he adds, “She is a gem of a person, very humble. Most of my scenes are with her, and that actually made me a bit nervous initially, but once we started working, things were on a roll. I can say it’s a pivotal role irrespective of its length. Marathi character thha, toh it was more appealing for me.”

While he admits to missing the specific culture and food of his home region during the festive season, he has developed an appreciation for Mumbai’s energy.

“I think Bombay is one of those cities where festivals are very strong. When you go to markets, I have seen the ronak in Mumbai, and it’s heartwarming. But having said that, I love Dusshera in Uttarakhand it has a distinct way of celebration, aur main usko sanjon ke rakhna chahta hoon hamesha.”

After the acclaimed 12th Fail (2023), Anant V Joshi bagged a film with two big challenges — it being a biopic on the CM of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, and him having to lead a film for the first time. But the actor is “happy” with the response that Ajey – The Untold Story Of A Yogi has brought for him.

“No matter how it performed commercially, once you get a positive response from the audience, especially in the age of Instagram, that’s overwhelming. I am at an emotional high, as I was very nervous about how my performance would be received. There are sentiments attached with any political figure from their avid followers, so you don’t want to go wrong at any point,” says the 35-year-old.

But what shocked the actor was that the pirated version of the film got a bigger audience: “We have to fight a lot of monsters when it comes to the box office, one of which is piracy. I keep seeing a lot of people appreciating me in Ajey by seeing it on their laptops. I’d be surprised to see how it is happening, as they would send me screenshots of downloading it from a website and watching it.”

But was he entirely unaffected by the film’s underwhelming commerce? “When you are a part of a team, you want your producer to earn as much. But as an actor my focus has never been on the numbers. I don’t think as an industry our focus should be only the money. We need money to sustain, but we should not forget that as creative people, our core aim is to tell a story with utmost honesty. Not doing enough business could have a lot of reasons behind it,” Anant responds.

Anant V Joshi and Vaibhav Raj Gupta

Plot twists aren’t exactly common in the charming world of Gullak, which revolves around the little joys and misadventures of the Mishra family. But it looks like the slice-of-life series’ makers are dealing with an unexpected twist. mid-day has learnt that Vaibhav Raj Gupta, who plays the responsible and endearing elder son, Annu Mishra, has exited the project. This development comes weeks before the fifth season of the TVF show — also starring Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, and Harsh Mayar — is set to go on floors.

Sources say that Gupta and the team parted ways owing to differences in their vision for his character. An insider says, “Vaibhav and The Viral Fever’s team had a fruitful partnership for four seasons, but they had creative disagreements pertaining to the fifth. While both parties were keen to continue the collaboration, the difference in opinion couldn’t be ironed out.”

As the shoot date nears, it is heard that the makers are in talks with actor Anant V Joshi to step into Gupta’s role. The actor was recently seen in Ajey - The Untold Story Of A Yogi. A source reveals, “Anant is familiar with dramedies like Gullak, considering he has worked in Maamla Legal Hai [2024] and Kathal [2023], and can be a good fit.”

mid-day reached out to Gupta and Sony LIV, who didn’t respond till press time.