Actor Ankur Rathee, best known for his portrayal of Arjun Nair in Four More Shots Please! and Daman in Undekhi, is playing a police inspector — his first time — in the Disney+ Hotstar series Reeta Sanyal, which is headlined by Adah Sharma. In conversation with The Telegraph Online, Ankur talked about his experience of working in the new legal comedy-drama, balancing his professional and personal life, and why he considers actor James Dean his lucky charm.
How did Reeta Sanyal on Disney+ Hotstar happen?
Ankur Rathee: Reeta Sanyal happened like all my other projects — through an audition. Even though I have been working for 10 years, have lots of friends in the industry, and done my share of networking, I've never gotten a job because of it. I received all my work based on my merit. Someone or the other thought I would be good for a role and called me in for an audition. That's exactly what happened with Reeta Sanyal as well. I had worked with one of the show’s producers on a different show, so she knew what I could bring to it. But it wasn't until I gave the audition that they felt confident about me being perfect for it.
What about the series appealed to you?
Ankur Rathee: That I got to play a police inspector! If you're a male actor and want a long, fruitful career, wearing the vardi (uniform) is usually on your bucket list. Getting to have the stars on your shoulder, the gun in your holster, and catching bad guys — it's every little boy's dream. We played Cops and Robbers as kids. Every boy's dream is to catch and beat up bad guys. As young and immature as that sounds, that's what first appealed to me about this show.
How did it feel to play a cop for the first time?
Ankur Rathee: Your experience of playing a cop completely depends on the genre of the series or film. If you’re playing the lead detective in a serious drama, it’d have a different vibe from what we're trying to achieve in Reeta Sanyal, which is a lot more masaledar. We're not really following police protocol. There's a lot more masti in what we're doing.
So, playing Jai Vardhan, was like playing a superhero because I could defy physics in the stunts that I was doing and defy logic in the detective work that I was doing. I was breaking protocols in not just my pursuit of the bad guys but also in the pursuit of ensuring Reeta Sanyal (Adah Sharma), my crush, is happy and relies on me to solve the cases.
What was your first day on the sets of Reeta Sanyal like?
Ankur Rathee: My first day of shoot was a tornado. I barely had any time to settle into the character. I was just thrown into the crazy mix of Reeta Sanyal’s world — of drama, mystery, and comedy — with all these different masalas. I had to navigate and find Jai Vardhan in all of this, find humour in the scenes, bring flirtatious energy, and find the right balance between Jai’s character and Reeta’s. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest.
While trying to find this character, I was also trying to digest lines that came from the writers, trying on different outfits, learning how a holstered gun should change my body language, speaking to the director and producer about my haircut… it was a lot! It was all very sink-or-swim — and I was barely swimming, till I eventually found my stride.
Was it challenging to shoot the action sequences?
Ankur Rathee: It was challenging because we were shooting during the monsoons in Madh Island, Mumbai. We would be doing these intense action sequences when suddenly, the rain would come pouring down. Immediately, people would run over with umbrellas to protect our costumes. Then we'd just have to wait for the rain to stop. Sometimes, the water level rose so much that it would even flood the set. Then, the second it would stop, everyone would rush back in, remove umbrellas, turn on the lights, roll the camera, and try to get this thing done. It was very start-and-stop in that way, and that added to the physical exhaustion. The places we shot at also had their fair share of insects that would crawl into our costumes and bite!
Why do you consider actor James Dean your lucky charm?
Ankur Rathee: I did my first photoshoot about 10–11 years ago in New York City. I was pretty young then. The photographer and I came up with the mood board — the general energy that we're trying to embody. We went for was a James Dean vibe, with the clean-shaven look, leather jacket, boyish charm and a hint of mystery. That's what I channeled.
Years later, they made their way to different casting directors and producers. Many times, producers came and said, “Hey, I really loved your audition. I think you're great for the role. But I specifically like this photograph of yours, so can you do the same audition again, but this time with this clean-shaved look?” This even happened for Four More Shots Please! where the producer, Rangeeta Nandy, found my photograph and said, “I really like this look on you and want to see you in it again.” That’s why I think of James Dean as my lucky charm.
How do you balance work and marriage while shuffling between India and the US?
Ankur Rathee: My equation with my wife, Anuja, works because she's a phenomenally talented actress who comes from a long line of artistes. Her father was a child actor, Master Alankar, who’d done over 100 films and her aunt, Pallavi Joshi, is a national award-winning actress. She understands that in this profession, one needs to jump when opportunity strikes.
We’ve both had great understanding over the last 10 years together. (We know) that there are chapters in which our relationship comes first, and then there are other chapters where work comes first. Sometimes she has an opportunity that she has to suddenly travel for. I've been there for her in the same way. We both knew we were signing up for shuffling between India and the US before we got married — both for personal and professional reasons. Once that expectation is clear in a marriage, then things become a lot easier.
Is it true that you will soon be part of a Hollywood project?
Ankur Rathee: Yes, but unfortunately I can't speak about it right now.
