This year, fans saw two of their beloved characters being replaced. Mirzapur made the transition from the web series to the big screen with Mirzapur: The Movie, with Jitendra Kumar stepping into the role of Bablu Pandit, originally played by Vikrant Massey . Similarly, the fifth season of the popular web show Gullak saw Anant V Joshi replace Vaibhav Raj Gupta as the beloved character Annu Bhaiya.
Sharing how the audience’s reaction changed after the season was released, Anant said the initial backlash made him question his decision to take on the role. Playing a well-established character can be tricky, as it can invite scrutiny from the character’s ardent fans. Anant, in a recent interaction, admitted that the backlash he faced when the Gullak Season 5 trailer was released affected him.
It has such a massive fan base, which I only realised after Season 5 came out. Because there were doubts, there was a bit of pressure. Because people were absolutely missing their favourite character. Because when you are not expecting it at all, you are already prepared that maybe that was not probably a good choice.
After all, Vaibhav did it so well. The show is so loved. But I was very excited to bring my own lived experiences to the character. So, yeah, I was excited to play the character. But there was a little bit of nervousness about how the audience was going to respond. It really affected me. It made me question my choice. Did I do it right? But when the show came out and the way the reactions completely flipped, that was an even higher high. You have stepped onto a really big show. But out of expectation, when that kind of love comes through, I think that was the biggest or the most rewarding feeling. Created by Shreyansh Pandey and produced by The Viral Fever, Gullak revolves around the Mishra family and their everyday lives. The series follows parents Santosh (Jameel Khan) and Shanti Mishra (Geetanjali Kulkarni) and their sons Anand, fondly known as Annu, and Aman (Harsh Mayar). The show is known for its slice-of-life storytelling, family dynamics and humour rooted in everyday middle-class experiences.
Speaking to NDTV, he said, “More than pressure, it was nervousness. He said, “When the trailer came out, there was backlash.
