Anant Joshi admits backlash over replacing Vaibhav Raj Gupta as Gullak’s Annu Bhaiya affected him: ‘Made me question my choice’
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
This year, followers 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.
Adding to this, Anant V Joshi spoke about replacing Vaibhav Raj Gupta in Gullak. 'There was a little bit of nervousness' Playing a well-established character can be tricky, as it can invite scrutiny from the character's ardent followers. Anant, in a recent interaction, admitted that the backlash he faced when the Gullak Season 5 trailer was rolled out affected him.
Meanwhile, In conversation with NDTV, he shared, "More than pressure, it was nervousness. There was a bit of pressure because there were doubts. After all, Vaibhav did it so well. The show is so loved. It has such a massive fan base, which I only realised after Season 5 came out. 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."
Notably, Sharing how the audience's reaction changed after the season was rolled out, Anant shared the initial backlash made him question his decision to take on the role.
As per the latest buzz, He shared, "When the trailer came out, there was backlash. It really affected me. It made me question my choice. Did I do it right? Because people were absolutely missing their favourite character. But when the show came out and the way the reactions completely flipped, that was an even higher high. Because when you are not expecting it at all, you are already prepared that maybe that was not probably a good choice. 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."
In further updates, Created by Shreyansh Pandey and produced by The Widely shared 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.
On top of that, Gullak Season 5 premiered on SonyLIV on June 5, 2026.
Vibha Maru is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Delhi. With a decade of experience across digital and print media, she covers Bollywood, Hollywood and web shows. A self-confessed cinephile who breathes Hindi cinema, Vibha can often be found sacrificing sleep after binge-watching films and web series. Though she holds a Commerce degree, she discovered her true calling in journalism after enrolling at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). She began her career covering Delhi's cultural scene, food, nightlife, concerts, and city life at The Times of India, before moving into full-time entertainment journalism with India Today. At India Today, Vibha interviewed some of the biggest names in Bollywood and television while carving a niche for herself through movie reviews, opinion pieces, nostalgic features, star interviews, and trend-driven stories. She later brought her storytelling and editorial expertise to The Indian Express, where she continued to deepen her understanding of cinema through long-form entertainment explainers, retrospectives and feature writing. Now, as Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times Entertainment, Vibha continues to chronicle the world of movies and pop culture. Her work spans breaking entertainment news, exclusive interviews, star features, and stories that capture the conversations shaping Indian cinema. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times