Actor-director Anshuman Jha, known for Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010), has never been one to follow the conventional route. Jha reflects on the choices that have shaped his journey so far.

For Anshuman, acting was never a fallback. Even when his mother wanted him to pursue a conventional career and become an IAS officer, he was certain about choosing the stage and screen. “I wanted to become an actor. My mother wanted me to become an IAS officer, and she was right, I would have, but I wanted to pursue acting,” he recalls.

His decision was not always easy. Asked to take science in Class 11, Jha deliberately left his first unit-test papers blank. “My principal actually called my mother and said, ‘Why aren't you letting him just do arts?’”

Eventually, he got into St Xavier's College, Mumbai, after initially missing the first list. “Luckily, I made the second list at Xavier's, and then I got the licence to move to Bombay. And then the rest, as they say, is history.”

Years later, Jha says fatherhood has given him a different perspective on life. He and his wife have taken an unconventional approach to their daughter’s early education. He recalls reading the Bhagavad Gita to her before she was born, and says she has now begun reading it with him.

“She's reading the Bible, then she'll read the Quran. We are trying — now we are on the Bible. The aim is that by the time she's five, she should have read once at least all these basic books.”

For Jha, fatherhood is ultimately about the simplest moments. “Fatherhood is the best thing that has happened and I'm just very grateful. Every morning she wakes up with a big smile and it reminds us that that's what we need to do.”

That understanding of parenthood has also made his upcoming film Om Ka Hari, a father-son drama comedy co-starring Raghubir Yadav, particularly personal. Jha says he did not spend much time with his father, who travelled frequently, but they shared a close and open relationship. His father died in 2020, and the last message he sent Jha was about a film he wanted him to watch. “He saw a movie called Lucy, and he knew I love action movies, so his last message to me is ‘Watch Lucy.’”

Jha says his biggest regret is that he never got to tell his father how much he loved him. “I never got a chance to say I love you to him.”

When the script of Om Ka Hari came to him in 2022, that emotional connection immediately drew him in. “There must be so many men and women who have had a relationship with their dad, but never got a chance to say, ‘I love you’ to them. This film is very special on that regard for me.”

Having Raghubir Yadav play his father made the experience even more meaningful, particularly because Jha’s late mother had encouraged him to work with the veteran actor.

Looking back at his own journey, Jha sees struggle not as an obstacle but as an essential part of growth. “You can be your best version only if you struggle.”

He remains firmly against keeping acting as a backup option. “And again, unpopular opinion, you should never have a backup plan. A lot of actors don't make it because they have a backup plan. You need to jump into the ocean and think deep. Shallow waters never make great swimmers.”

His curiosity extends beyond acting. Jha says he would happily return to being an assistant director to learn from filmmakers he admires. “I'm a great assistant director. I love being on a film set. Like if tomorrow Zoya Akhtar allows me to be her assistant, I will go and assist her. I have zero ego. I would love to be her assistant and learn from her.”

Next, he is preparing for Lakadbaggha 3, which he says will demand a significant physical transformation. “What I'm trying to do there is physically so demanding,” he says, adding that actors owe it to audiences who spend their hard-earned money on films. “People are paying Rs. 400, Rs. 500 to see you, and that's their hard-earned money. So you owe it to them.”

As told to Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 16, 2019)

I have been passionate about sports since I was a child. Starting out with extracurricular activities in school, I moved to badminton and started participating in tournaments across the country. I was 12 when I took part in a district-level tournament in the under-13, under-16 and under-19 categories. I won the competition across all age groups and got a cash prize of Rs 3,500 with which I gifted my mother a landline.

I continued playing badminton, but whenever the coach took a break, the boys would teach me to play cricket. That’s how I fell in love with that sport too, picked up the game real fast and was soon playing it professionally.

Then, I went to college at St. Xaviers, Mumbai, where the theatre culture is active. That’s how I caught the eye of Atul Kasbekar, ace photographer who has now turned producer. He suggested I give modelling a shot. I must have been 18 then and followed up on his advice. Modelling was a lot of fun as I got to travel to new places and be photographed, which was great.

My first TV commercial (left) was with actor Nakuul Mehta for a scooter brand. The first print ad was for a clothing line. I continued modelling through my college years as a result of which badminton and cricket took a backseat because my college was strict about attendance and I could only pursue one thing at a time.

In fact, Kiran More’s (former cricketer) daughter, was an assistant director on my debut Hindi film, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mirzya. One day, Kiran sir had dropped by on the set and we took a break to play cricket with him. He was so impressed by my skills, that he asked me to give him three months after the shoot, telling me that given the way I play, I still had a chance to get into the women’s cricket team. That opportunity had come my way a couple of times even before that. But something else always took precedence.

While dabbling in theatre and modelling, I had decided to give acting a shot, following in the footsteps of my grandmother, Usha Kiran, and aunt Tanve Azmi. Mirzya happened after six crazy months of auditioning. Out of several aspirants, only two of us were selected and sent to Delhi for training, followed by another round of audition after which they finally zeroed in on me to play Suchitra opposite Harsh (Varrdhan Kapoor). I even went on to do a Marathi action film, Mauli, co-starring Riteish Deshmukh in a double role. Acting is a lot of fun.

Interestingly, as a child, I have worked at my parents’ restaurants (Adwait and Uttara Mhatre Kher) in Nashik. After their stint at a prominent five star hotel in Mumbai, they shifted to Nashik and started three restaurants. During vacations, my sister, Saunskriti, who was 13 then and I, two years younger, would manage one of the restaurants, Bombay Talkies, themed around Hindi films. I would take care of the kitchen, ordering around full-grown men to fill out orders from customers, while my sister would take orders and manage the guests. It was an enriching experience interacting with strangers and dealing with problems a 11-year-old girl is usually unaware of. I remember once a Jain customer was mistakenly served a chicken sizzler by the waiter. Thankfully, my sister saved the situation. On another occasion, an unruly group of college kids were fooling around in the hotel and broke a big glass door. That was the one time when we had to call our mother to handle things.

We had those restaurants for seven years and worked there for around four years during holidays. I enjoy cooking myself and was obsessed with how roomali rotis were made at the restaurant. I even learnt to bake brownies and pizzas and dish out yummy frankies.

Even today we have a boutique farm stay in Nashik where my plan is to organise workshops, establish a theatre residency and conduct music classes. I will love doing all this whenever time permits.

As told to Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 8, 2019)

In my final year of college, I signed up with a top agency as a part-time model. I was studying at Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College at the time which is known for its meritorious students and is very particular about attendance. I was in two minds but eventually took up the offer because people around had been telling me that I’d be the perfect model. But I made it clear to the agency that academics were my priority and I’d only take up modelling assignment during holidays. For me it was just an opportunity to earn some pocket money.

I worked with the agency for a year-and-a-half. My first job was for an Italian designer. I went on to do a couple of print shoots and ad campaigns which I quickly realised brought in far more than pocket money. I was the only earning member in my group and it felt great to be financially independent.

After graduation, I took up modelling as a full-time career because it was so fascinating. Initially, I was unnerved by the spotlight, but with time I became comfortable. My plans of going to Boston for further studies in Marketing, Communication and Advertising took a back seat but I was in Paris for a few months during the Fashion Week and walked the ramp for a number of designers. That trip was great exposure for me, as living in another country helped me evolve as a person. After Paris, it was on to New York for another Fashion Week. I also ended up doing a lot of shoots there.

I was happy being a model. It gave me the chance to travel around the world and make some good money. Along the way, I also did a television ad and then, when I was in Rome, I got a call from Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan’s production company. Once I returned to Mumbai, I went to their office. They were looking for a fresh face and having seen my pictures had me in mind for the role of Meera, a traditional Indian girl who moves to Mumbai after marriage only for her husband to disown her. They asked me to enact a scene and my lack of confidence during the audition worked for the character because Meera was a shy girl-next-door, the polar opposite of the free-spirited party girl, Veronica (played by Deepika Padukone).

I was called for another audition next day and an hour after that, they called me to say that I had bagged the role. Cocktail was a big banner film with Saif as the hero and though acting had never been on my mind, Homi (director Homi Adajania) and Dinesh boosted my confidence. I was enrolled for diction, acting and dance classes. They had faith in me and because of them I am an actor today.

During the shoot, I was nervous working with experienced and established actors. However, everyone was supportive and encouraging. I made mistakes and forgot my lines but the unit ensured that I remained calm. In fact, they all helped me with my lines and scenes, accepted me for who I was.
Cocktail arrived in the theatres in 2012. Four years later, I returned as the titular bride Aanand L Rai’s production, Happy Bhag Jayegi, followed by Lucknow Central and Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran last year. I often call myself an ‘accidental actress’ because my entry into Bollywood happened by chance, after five years of modelling.

The actress returned to her alma mater, St. Xavier’s College, after 12 years and relived the memories of the ‘most beautiful days’ of her life
Pallabi Purkayastha (BOMBAY TIMES; July 25, 2018)

A BMM graduate, Diana Penty had not been able to revisit her alma mater, St. Xavier’s, ever since she entered showbiz and she always loathed that fact. However, earlier this week, her wish was fulfilled, when she was invited as the chief guest for a press meet that unveils the line-up of the college’s annual festival — Malhar 2018. Talking about her experiences as a student, Diana said that her alma mater had made a major contribution in shaping up her life.

In a one-on-one with BT, the actress reminisced the good old days, and revealed that her first (and natural) instinct at the entrance of the college was to reach out for her gate pass. “It was overwhelming, you know. I was suddenly transported to 12 years ago and the unfortunate part is that I haven’t been able to come back here in all these years. It is just an amazing feeling to walk through the corridors again, walking through that gate again,” said Diana Penty, getting nostalgic during her visit to her college, St. Xavier’s, after 12 years. “I was about to reach into my bag and look for my pass, because back in the day, they used to be very strict about it. Even if you are a regular student and the security guard recognises you, he would still say, ‘Pass chahiye…’ So, for a moment today, I felt, ‘Oh! God, I don’t have my pass’ and then I realised that I don’t need one. I am happy that I am finally here, because it’s something that I have wanted to do for a long time and I thank the committee for inviting me,” shared a visibly emotional Diana.

The actress, who graduated in 2006, cherishes her friends from her college days and likes to keep them close. “The bonds of friendship that I forged in my college days are still going strong. I made some really good friends in the five years that I was here and those days, we used meet every day. We would spend the whole day together and again see one another the next day, but it was never enough. We used to go out together on weekends. For me, those are the most special memories of my life. Working on projects together, hanging out in the canteen and bunking classes (laughs!)...” she recalled.

About her favourite hangouts, she said, “We used to spend a lot of time at Rang Bhavan, or at the bus stop right outside the college. For some reason, the bus stop used to be our meeting ground. The whole group would get together and chill there before or after college. It was the most ridiculous thing to do (laughs!). The Metro Cinema is close by, so, whenever we used to bunk classes, we would watch movies. There was also the Kayani bakery, which was known for its ‘chai’. In fact, there were so many ‘dhaba’ kind of places that offered good food and we used to spend a lot of time there. Most of these places do not exist anymore, but we spent a lot of time there.”

Twelve years have passed by, but when asked if anything has changed in the college, Diana was quick to reply in the negative. “I didn’t notice any change (on the college premises), to be honest. Of course, I haven’t explored the other side yet and not been to the canteen — we used to call it the Woods — but the entrance and the corridor look the same. They are very well maintained now; those days, they probably needed a paint job but now, it looks really amazing,” concluded the actress.


Diana strikes a pose on the winding staircase, which is considered to be an architectural delight with its carvings