Akansha Ranjan Kapoor recalls struggling through 8-month work break after 'Guilty' debut: 'I can't stand my own voice'
Akansha Ranjan Kapoor debuted with 'Guilty' in 2020 but faced an eight-month work break due to the pandemic. She's now more selective with roles and stars in Gram Chikitsalay, a series about a young doctor transforming a rural health center, streaming on Prime Video.
Akansha Ranjan Kapoor entered Bollywood with her first film 'Guilty', but shortly after, the pandemic brought the industry to a halt. The actress shared in an interview that she faced an eight-month dry spell with no projects, during which she felt her career and life had come to a standstill.
Lockdown Impact and Career Pause
In an interview with Free Press Journal, Akansha shared that her film 'Guilty' was released on March 6, 2020, but just nine days later, the country went into lockdown due to the pandemic. She explained that her entire life, which had been focused on that significant moment, came to a sudden halt. She ended up staying at home for eight months with no work. Initially, she was receiving calls for meetings, new projects, and even another film with the same production house, but everything abruptly went silent.
It took her a year to recover from this challenging phase.
Becoming More Selective and Self-Critical
She has become more deliberate in selecting roles, focusing on projects that leave a meaningful impact rather than simply blending into a crowd of actors. Discussing the challenges of being on camera, she shared, 'I'll send a voice note and immediately think, 'I can't stand my own voice.'' She often fixates on minor details, like the positioning of her hand in a scene, even though her sister reassures her that no one notices.
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Acknowledging this as part of the nature of the medium, she said she wouldn't have it any other way but hopes to 'find a better balance and not be so harsh' on herself.
Current Project
Currently, Akansha is featured in the series 'Gram Chikitsalay', which tells the story of Dr. Prabhat, a young and idealistic doctor who takes over a neglected Primary Health Centre in a rural North Indian village. While he aims to implement vital reforms, he soon discovers that personal transformation is essential before any real change can occur. Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, the show also stars Amol Parashar,
Vinay Pathak
,
Garima Vikrant Singh
, among others. The series is streaming now on Prime Video.
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