Waiting is learning: Vaibhav Raj Gupta

For actor Vaibhav Raj Gupta, who has become a household name for portraying Annu Mishra in the slice-of-life drama ‘Gullak’ on OTT, breaking his image was a primary concern. Hence, he was looking for a character that would be the polar opposite of the charming eldest son of a middle-class family in ‘Gullak’. So, when the character of Vikram Singh, a suspended Delhi cop with a past of his own in ‘Mandala Murders’ on ‘Netflix’ came his way, he knew he had found the perfect role to showcase his talent further. The icing on the cake was that ‘Mandala Murders’ was a YRF production with ‘Mardaani’ writer Gopi Puthran helming it.

The initial task for Vaibhav was to transform his physicality. In ‘Gullak’, his character comes across as a middle-class boy, but as a cop in ‘Mandala Murders’, he beefed up and sported a beard. “I was very sure that I didn’t want to play anything close to Annu Mishra. After ‘Gullak’, I was offered similar roles, but I decided to wait for the right project. I knew I couldn’t sabotage my career. ‘Gullak’ had given me the scope to showcase my talent and my goal was to sharpen it further with the next role,” said the Lucknow boy.

Waiting is a constant for all actors, especially outsiders, who dream of making it big in the glamour world. Vaibhav, who moved to Mumbai to pursue mass communication, had done several short films before he was selected for ‘Gullak’, which he said has ‘changed his life forever’. “Waiting is a part of this profession. I waited for more than a year for ‘Mandala Murders’ to come out. And I am so glad that the audiences have appreciated the series and also my character,” he said.

Vaibhav believes in channelising his energy into various creative activities like poetry, painting and short filmmaking. “So, even when you are waiting, you’re actually learning,” he smiled.

For any actor, working with YRF will always be a dream and Vaibhav feels fortunate to have lived his dream early on in his career. “Just like anyone, it was my dream to work with ‘Yash Raj Films’. When I heard the narration of ‘Mandala Murders’, I knew I wanted to be a part of this world. For actors like us, when you get to play one of the leads in a YRF show, it’s a big opportunity because a lot of people will watch it,” said the actor, who had earlier worked in series like ‘Mai’ and ‘Inside Edge’. Vaibhav didn’t have to audition for his role in ‘Mandala Murders’.

Vaibhav found the world of ‘Mandala Murders’ different. It was a supernatural crime thriller blending ritual killings, folklore and police investigation. The series also featured powerful actors like Vaani Kapoor and Surveen Chawla. “We used to hear supernatural stories from my grandfather in my childhood, but being on the set of ‘Mandala Murders’ felt like reliving those tales,” said Vaibhav, who is a confessed fan of thrillers like ‘Sacred Games’ and ‘Paatal Lok’.

Vaibhav is hopeful that both ‘Gullak’ and ‘Mandala Murders’ showcased his diverse range as an actor. Now, he awaits more powerful characters. Ask him about ‘Gullak’ Season 5 and he isn’t quite sure. However, he hopes that both ‘Gullak’ and ‘Mandala Murders’ get new seasons.