Adarsh Gourav Reveals Anurag Kashyap Pushed Him To Pursue Acting; Says 'He said that I should Be...'

Adarsh Gourav’s journey into acting was quite unexpected. Initially, he aspired to become a singer and a documentary filmmaker due to his love for working with animals and his love for travel and exploration. However, everything took a turn when Anurag Kashyap urged him to consider acting seriously.

Adarsh gained recognition for his roles as the young Rizwaan in Shah Rukh Khan’s My Name Is Khan and as an antagonist in Sridevi’s MOM. However, it was his portrayal of Balram Halwai in the international debut project The White Tiger, alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rajkummar Rao, that earned him critical acclaim. Although the Netflix original film received praise globally, the response from the Indian audience was relatively muted. In this interview with indianexpress.com, Adarsh reflected on his life post-“The White Tiger” and discussed the contrasting reception of the film.

When asked about the lukewarm response from the Indian audience towards The White Tiger that brought him international recognition and a BAFTA nomination, Adarsh explained his perspective. He said that he believes that in the current era, where there is an abundance of content and numerous exceptional actors and performers, it’s no longer a time to dwell on one performance for an extended period. “The nature of current times is such that there is so much content and there are so many amazing actors and so many amazing performers. It is not a time anymore that you sit and gloat about one performance for a very long time because then there is somebody else who comes and does something even amazing in the next week. That’s the way it should be. I feel like when people are constantly trying to make something that’s good and something that’s authentic and original, as far as the intent is right. It is a very healthy sort of comparative space to be in. I think at the end of it all of us want to be part of great shows and great stories.”

Adarsh also revealed how it was Anurag Kashyap who first spotted him and suggested that he should pursue acting. He shared, “Acting was more to fuel my career as a musician, the only reason I was acting on the side, but I remember working on a short film with Anurag Kashyap. He said that I should be taking up acting more seriously, that’s when I gave it a second thought that maybe this is what needs to be given priority.”

Adarsh will be next seen in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday.