Build career on worth, not well-wishers

Undekhi 3 actor Ankur discusses how he pays no heed to colleagues’ or star-makers’ advice and goes by his instinct

Stories that have the scope to unfold over multiple seasons and say something new every time attract Ankur Rathee. Undekhi is a case in point. But he notes that the bigger incentive to work on the Sony LIV crime thriller is the chance to collaborate with senior actors like Harsh Chhaya and Varun Badola. “When you work with talented senior actors, they make your job easier because all you have to do is listen, react and hopefully know your lines. When the burden of making a scene impactful lies on the senior actor’s shoulders, it takes a bit of the pressure off you,” he says.

Over 10 years in the industry, the actor has attempted various projects, from Thappad (2020) to Shehzada (2023), from Made in Heaven to Four More Shots Please. It has been an interesting journey of finding like-minded collaborators and so-called well-wishers, and knowing the difference between the two. “There is no dearth of people, who dole out advice, in our industry,” grins Rathee, citing an example of how he was advised to steer away from romantic shows and star in thrillers as they have a wider audience. “The difficult part is when you are getting advice from a ‘star-maker’; it could be a director or producer. The longer you work, you realise nobody has the answer. Before Made in Heaven, I was told that if I played a queer character, I won’t get to play a heterosexual hero. But I went ahead because it was a chance to work with Zoya Akhtar. Every time I have shut out the noise, I have been rewarded.”

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