My key preference is for content rather than platform: Anushka Kaushik

As Vibha Gupta, actress Anushka Kaushik who created her mark in the industry in Crash Course comes back with her upcoming series, Lust Stories S2. She is known for her remarkable acting in Maharani S2, Ghar Waapsi, and Thar. She also loves content creation to entertain people and has enacted many YouTube mini-series, and now shares her film journey with The Hans India.

1) In regards to Crash Course, as Vibha, can you please share with us how the character relates to you as an intermediate student? Are there any anecdotes related to it?

Not only have I enjoyed playing the role of Vibha Gupta but also gained a lot of love and empathy from the audience. When I started to read the script, I figured out that this character was very similar to me in many ways. She was a girl coming from a small town and has a lot of expectations from herself, and is career driven. But when I was playing this character and exploring it, I saw the afterlife of someone who committed suicide there is a point in life where you feel like nobody is there for you, but when you are gone you leave a great impact on the life of other people, especially your loved ones. And that is something, this character has given me and the audience.

2) Can you please share your experience regarding your debut film, SP Chauhan?

I wouldn’t consider SP Chauhan as my debut film as I did it during my second year of college and it was a child-like experience for me.

3) As YouTube mini-series are in trend, do you prefer them over films?

My preference is not on the basis of which platform it is going to be released but the message the film or series is going to convey to the audience in a clear way. Another factor to be considered is the platform it is releasing on OTT or theaters and whether it is capable of pulling the audience into theaters.

4) You have impressed the audience with your acting skills, especially in web series. What are the secrets behind your acting and how do you choose your content?

There are no secrets as such but there is one thing to keep in mind is that the audience loves the honesty of the character. Every director has a different preparation for sure and the script has to be good at the same time it has to convey a message.

5) As an actor who loves to play light-hearted roles, in regards to Lust stories S2 and Maharani S2, can you share your experience and the challenges you had to face while notching the character?

I am definitely not light-hearted as in the show Maharani S1, I am pursuing the role of Shilpa Agarwal, who was gang raped and murdered. I did not prepare much for the character because I wanted to be there with my utmost honesty, but after doing it I was not able to sleep the whole night because it was a nightmare. Whereas in the Lust Stories S2, as Rekha I prepared for my Bundlekhandi dialect. I love the place where my character was coming from as it was not a privileged class and definitely, the psyche of the character was very different from mine. Acting in this role was one of the loveliest parts of my career.

6) What roles would you love to act for and why?

OTT has opened the doors for all genres and the audience has become very intelligent as they cannot keep watching the same content. This is also a good part for actors like us to keep trying new things. I enjoyed playing everything and always wanted to do period films.

7) Apart from acting, you are quite popular in content creation. Can you please share some of your fun moments while creating them and how are you managing both?

Along with my acting career, I began content creation and it just happened because many people were not able to find me on social media platforms, especially Instagram. Hence I changed my screen name from Anushka Sharma to Anushka Kaushik. Moreover, I felt that I really need to serve my followers with something good and that paved the way for content creation.

I create content only when I really want to make it or want to enjoy it and the best part is the comment section where people are funnier by making jokes. The fun part is how people react to your content.

8) What is your advice for young actors and content creators?

For all the young actors, I want to say please make sure of two things; the product and marketing. A lot of people do not work on the product that is your craft but focus more on marketing. Everything needs to go hand in hand. In today’s time, it is also important for you to know how to sell your products. You need to find new ways to keep track of yourself and be aware of that.