After Gullak season 3 and Mai, Vaibhav Raj Gupta is on cloud nine these days. He talks about life in Mumbai and his career

How do you celebrate success?

Sharing my happiness with family and friends is my way. Also, I am an artiste so it is important for me to treat myself well. I go to a cafe and savour coffee.

What were your struggles in Mumbai initially?

When I came to Mumbai, it was a huge change for me. I was not aware of things like how to meet people, socialise and even order food in a restaurant. So the first three years were spent in learning the Mumbai way of life.

What kind of training did you take for acting?

I joined theatre in 2009 and continued for seven years. I have also learnt mime from YouTube and performed all over India. Though I left theatre, but it has been a great learning ground for me. Whenever I get time, I go and watch a play.

Whom do you look up to as your mentor?

Actors like Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpayee and Denzel Washington are great sources of inspiration. If I don’t watch films, I feel something is missing. For an actor it is important to watch movies.

Your last work is a short film Emotion. How was your experience of working in it?

I have a special connection with the short film. I started my career with short films. It’s the best medium to express your creativity. The subject of Emotion is close to my heart as an actor. It’s a 13-minute solo act in which an actor goes through the series of auditions.

Mai has got some great reviews. Were you reluctant to play a character like Shankar?

I accepted the role because of the character graph of Shankar. It was like walking on thin ice and anything could have gone wrong. But the way Atul Mongia has written the characters is amazing. I have received positive feedback, especially after Gullak, as both are different and poles apart. Now we are eagerly waiting for season two to happen.

What do you want as an actor now?

I am looking for films now. And it’s not important for me to play the lead only.

As an actor what are your social responsibilities?

I really wanted to give something back to art because it has given me a lot. So along with filmmaker Devashish Makhija, I started Aabobo couple of years ago, which is a much-needed platform to showcase small-budget films and organise panel discussions after the screening. I love poetry and have opened a community for poets also.

What’s next in pipeline?

My next on Sony Liv is The Cancer Bitch where I am playing an urban guy.