I was born on stage: Anshuman Jha

He calls his move from theatre to films a natural progression. Yes, the little boy from stage, Anshuman Jha, has taken his leap to the silver screen but “my birth has happened on stage; that’s where I belong,” he still asserts.
He may be debuting in films, but that doesn’t end his journey on stage. “I’m travelling to the US with ‘Bali — The Sacrifice’ in July and I’ll be out with a new play at the end of the year.I have enough time for theatre,” Anshuman states.
So why a move from theatre to films, we ask? He’s quick to reply, “Moving to films was a natural progression, just like it is for every actor. I always wanted to do films. I wanted to deliver as an actor. I’m open to playing character roles, but the director has to have a vision to play up that character.”
Through his theatre years, Anshuman has given some memorable performances on stage with Barry John’s ‘Its All about Money’, Quasar Thakore Padamsee’s ‘Kindertransport’, Joy Fernander’s ‘Chotu’ and the most recent being the remake of Girish Karnad’s ‘Bali’ by his theatre group. Besides acting in and directing plays, this 24-year-old has also tried his hands at assisting for ad-films and feature films. Story-telling, he believes, is his driving force. “In theatre, you have a live audience and limited technical help as compared to the camera, but then the natural energy builds a different vibe, which you will never get anywhere else. That direct interaction is special. Feature films gives you a lot more scope as a storyteller to imagine and take the audience on a journey. But it’s the most difficult medium too. However, both the mediums allow me to tell stories that can engage and entertain people. For me, acting is the same, be it on stage or in front of the camera. But theatre certainly makes you sounder, makes you a better actor and makes you learn the craft better,” he signs off, having been there and done that in both the mediums.
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