Anup Soni, who was recently seen in ‘Shaque’ and ‘The Vvaan’, has earned praise for his work in both projects. In this conversation, he speaks about feeling validated as an actor, the projects that slipped under the radar, shaking off the ‘Crime Patrol’ image, and why he feels no actor should look down on the medium.
Why appreciation matters to Anup Soni
In an interview with Mid-Day, when asked Anup whether recognition makes him feel validated as an actor, he said that appreciation means a great deal. He admitted, “For any actor, I think appreciation matters a lot. There is absolute disappointment when you know you have done a good job, but it goes unnoticed.”
Anup Soni on the series that went unnoticed
Asked about a project that he felt deserved more recognition, Anup Soni said he tends to be hard on his own performances and can quickly spot the flaws in his work. Still, he feels he did justice to his role in the series ‘Saas Bahu Achaar Private Limited’, where the entire cast delivered strong performances but the show never got the attention he believed it deserved. “All the actors were good, and I also felt that I had done a good job. But that series went unnoticed,” he said.
Anup Soni on ‘Crime Patrol’ and his strong image
“I feel that the only solution is to have patience. Make people quiet with your work. I understood this when I shifted my focus back to acting. I have been anchoring for a long time, and people know me as an actor. I have received immense love for Crime Patrol, and I still get a lot of love. I really enjoy that. I always say that Crime Patrol is my baby. I own it. I have given a lot of time to that show, and that anchoring has become a big part of my life. He will always be with me. But when I wanted to work as an actor, I also received feedback that my image was very strong,” he added.
How Anup Soni broke out of the box
Looking back at how he approached roles that pushed against his typecast image, Soni recalled, “In Class of 83, I was being considered for the main role, which was eventually played by Bobby Deol.” The director, however, wanted him to play a minister with grey shades, and he chose to take it up. “I thought I should do it. People had not seen me in that space. This was a way to tell them not to put me in a box. I then did Tandav, and things started changing after Saare Jahan Se Achha,” he added.
Anup Soni says no actor should demean television
When the conversation turned to actors who look down on television as a medium, Anup Soni was clear in his view. “As an actor, I don’t have any right to say that this medium is bad. I have a choice of not working if I am not okay. Why would I put that medium down? Why would I demean it?”, he said.
