Anshuman Jha: I'd rather be ugly and a good actor than a pretty mannequin

Anshuman Jha recently replaced comedian-actor Gaurav Gera as the lead in the stage musical 'Jhumroo'. Best known for his role in 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha' (LSD), the actor says doing musical shows is different from theatre. 'It's not the same as theatre ' you need to be athletic to perform here, as you have to be on stage for two-and-a-half hours. You have to dance, be on the wire (harness), plus you are acting.So it is a different sort of a challenge. I am not just working on acting and dancing here. Every morning, I cycle for 90 minutes to build my stamina and mouth my dialogues while cycling,' says Anshuman.
I watched Half Ticket 25-30 times as a child
Anshuman is a huge fan of Kishore Kumar and says he has grown up watching his 1962 film 'Half Ticket'. 'Kishore Kumar is my idol. When I was growing up in Allahabad, we had a VHS (video home system) of Half Ticket at my home. I must have seen it 25-30 times, and 'Cheel Cheel Chilla Ke' is still one of my favourite songs.'
I have been rejecting a lot of offers
When it comes to acting, Anshuman says he goes by his instinct and the script. He says that he needs to challenge himself and therefore, he has been rejecting a lot of offers. 'I don't do things I won't love to watch. I haven't done TV because of the same reason. After 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha', the producers had offered me a huge show, but I couldn't do it. I am an actor, not a cow. I can't do the same thing over and over again. I need newer challenges. People haven't seen me dancing much in films, but I can dance well. I can act reasonably well. If I take Sonam Kapoor's logic (of not being taken seriously as an actor if you were good looking), then I am ugly and a very good actor. But I would prefer being ugly and a good actor than be a good-looking mannequin,' he says.
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There is a certain charm about Gurgaon's dust as well!
In the last three months, Anshuman has been spending a lot of time at his home in Gurgaon and says that his mother is very happy about it. Says he, 'I was earlier shooting here for a film at multiple locations like ITO, Rohini and parts of East Delhi. It's written by a Paschim Vihar-based director and is a dark story that brings out the underbelly of the city. Since December I have been coming here for work. I have been visiting paranthewalas at Qutub Enclave. I also love Gurgaon. It has changed so much, but it is still as dusty. However, I feel there is a certain charm about Gurgaon's dust as well!'