Anshuman Jha, whose latest film Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele is about love beyond gender binaries
Sheetal
Men are from Mars and women are from Venus’! John Gray, a relationship counsellor and author, had written a book on it. But there’s always an exception. Bringing forth the unique friendship of two homosexual friends of opposite sex is the latest movie Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele, which is available on Disney+ Hotstar VIP. Anshuman Jha and Zareen Khan are portraying the characters of a gay (Veer Pratap Randhawa) and lesbian (Mansi Dubey), respectively, who are friends and going on a road trip together from Delhi to Mcleodganj in Himachal Pradesh.
Talking about the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ community in society, he says the film deals with the harsh realities through dialogues, “You can be a criminal but not a homosexual’. To prepare for the role, Anshuman says, “I wanted to portray the gay man’s character with sincerity. I have friends from the community but that didn’t make me eligible to play the role straightaway. By no means, I wanted it to look caricaturist on screen. As an actor, I have to be sensible and responsible towards the subject. And I took upon myself to understand the psychological and physical aspects, understand their point of views only to transform it further in the film. Vinod Rawat was my acting coach and we had researched a great deal to live up to the expectations of the community. It is a sensitive topic and the intent was to make the audience understand them better.”
Anshuman, who was a part of web shows like Abhay Season 1 on Zee 5 and Mastram on MX Player, is fine with the OTT release of the film as, ‘desperate time, desperate measures.’ He says, “The ultimate aim was to release it in theatres, but with the ongoing pandemic, the dream seemed far from reality. But, I am happy that we have got a big platform to showcase the film. Disney+ Hotstar is available in more than 100 countries, so the aim to talk about love beyond gender binaries will be put across to a wider audience.”
This Love Sex Aur Dhokha actor believes that his career journey is still in the initial stage. “I can give my lifetime for something that I love and enjoy. In this race of passion, and I am happy to be a tortoise,” he adds.
About his less frequent outings on screen, he says, “I look at it from a different perspective. I have lived a balanced life. Success don’t get to my head and failures do not depress me. My debut movie was with director Dibakar Banerjee. I have been directed by wonderful directors and shared screen space with amazing actors. I have always handpicked the best script and a combination of great actors, directors and production house.”
On the personal front, Anshuman confirms that he is engaged to his longtime girlfriend who is from America.
