Mandala Murders' Vaibhav Raj Gupta on being typecast after Gullak: 'Everybody was connecting me with Annu Mishra' - Exclusive

In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, Vaibhav said this layered character, riddled with emotional baggage and haunted by personal loss, gave him the chance to flex muscles - both literal and metaphorical - that had long been overshadowed by a different kind of fame.

Prior to this groundbreaking performance, Vikram became known as Annu Mishra, the eldest son in SonyLIV's beloved slice-of-life series Gullak. The series found a special place in Indian households during the pandemic and has now seen 4 seasons till now.

Annu, with his restless charm and imperfect ambition, made Vaibhav a household name. But he told Moneycontrol that this love and popularity came with a catch.

Vaibhav agrees that Gullak brought him recognition, but it also brought typecasting. Post Gullak, the offers he received were largely similar to his character Annu of smart, flawed but lovable men. He knew it had to change.

"I was keen to explore some other themes as an actor. Gullak itna kar liya hai toh. I feel like I know this character very well now. (Gullak was not challenging anymore. It’s like you know this character now.) That feeling is scary when you think you know this. I was scared, and the character became such a hit that everybody was connecting me only with Annu. And I felt this is like a death for an actor. Even if I'm getting any work, it's all somehow breaking out to Annu," he said, talking about a deliberate decision to break that mould.

So, when director Gopi Puthran spotted a certain intensity in Vaibhav's eyes, he took a leap of faith. That leap became Mandala Murders.

“Luckily, I found Gopi. Luckily, I met Manan sir. Luckily, this was happening when Gullak 3 was being shot. Gopi Sir was writing Mandala Murders. He saw a scene of mine where he saw the intensity in my eyes. And that’s when he thought that maybe I can play Vikram," he adds and the rest, he says, is history.

I never wanted to play Vikram like a usual cop

In Mandala Murders, Vaibhav Gupta’s transformation is physical, emotional, and deeply personal. Vikram Singh isn't your archetypal screen cop—he's haunted, broken, and walking a razor's edge. And that, Vaibhav says, was intentional.

He prepared for over seven months to prepare for this character, building his physique, studying the script, and diving deep into the emotional core of the character.

Vaibhav credits the intense workshops - six to seven months of script reading, physical training, and scene rehearsals—for building Vikram from the ground up.

He read the script more than 50 times and approached his character with references that went far beyond the standard cops seen onscreen.

“I never wanted to play Vikram like a cop. I wanted to play him like a strong man but so vulnerable and having gone through a lot. I wanted people to see me and just say that something is wrong with this guy. Main preparation went into getting those muscles (he chuckles). I told myself that I’m not going to let go of my baggage or my trauma, which I am feeling. Vikram has lost a lot of things and I was losing a lot of things in my personal life. Let me be toxic for a few minutes. Let me feel all these things. And I stored these things. It’s not good advice for actors to do that, because it changes your mental health, but I did it," he said.

The journey into Vikram was so intense, Vaibhav says it took him months to come out of the character after the shoot wrapped.

“It took me three or four months to come back to myself. I’m not exaggerating. I wanted to taste how it feels to dive deep into a character where you become something and someone else," he said.

To get into the skin of the character, Vaibhav spent a lot of time reading the script. He said, "Seven-eight months I spent my time with my script and read it more than 50 times because Gopi sir (Gopi Puthran) and Manan Rawat said they will be shooting two units and dialogues should be in your head."

Vikram is not a Cliché Cop

The preparation for Vikram was intense both physically and emotionally. Vaibhav explained that he wasn’t interested in playing just another hard-nosed cop. He wanted depth, vulnerability, and rawness.

“I never wanted to play Vikram like a cop. I wanted to play him like a strong man but so vulnerable and having gone through a lot. I wanted people to see me and just say that something is wrong with this guy.”

“I told myself that I’m not going to let go of my baggage or my trauma… Let me be toxic for a few months. Let me feel all these things. It’s not good advice for actors. But I stored these things… and it took me months to come back to myself.”

“My reference was Om Puri sir from Ardh Satya, and Manoj Bajpayee from Shool. When you see Ardh Satya, you can see that this guy has so much guilt, anger… I hope I have conveyed that through my eyes," he says.

On OTT and Genre Shifts

Vaibhav’s journey reflects the evolution of OTT content and its actors. Gone are the days when screen size dictated stardom.

“I don't believe in this TV/OTT/film divide. I want to be in a Hollywood film. I want to sit on the Oscar ground. And that’s why art is very subjective. If nobody gives me anything, I shoot my poetry. I make a film out of my poetry," he said.

He credits OTT platforms for offering in-depth, layered roles like Vikram that may not find space in traditional cinema.

“OTT has a lot of time, like six or seven hours, so you can give layers to your characters. The craft has to be strong because you're with the audience for so long.”

Vaibhav also spoke about the lockdown phase, how Gullak became a household name during COVID, and how he didn’t really 'cash in' on that popularity immediately.

“We were praying every day that nothing should happen. It was a scary time. Actually, that time gave me patience. I read books, I meditated, and I waited," he said.

On Working with Vaani Kapoor and Ensemble Energy

Mandala Murders sees Vaibhav sharing screen space with Vaani Kapoor and Surveen Chawla, both of whom he speaks of with admiration.

"Vaani has worked so much. She prepped every day for months. She’s a beautiful co-actor. Surveen is a manjha hua kalakar. I’ve learned so much watching her. On set, we’d play antakshari. We never discussed scenes much. We just trusted the process and played.”

The Road Ahead for Vaibhav 

What's next for Vaibhav? Is the fifth season of Gullak on the cards? A leap into films? He doesn’t know and that’s the beauty of his journey.

“Nothing was planned. I didn’t plan Gullak, and I didn’t plan Mandala. I just flowed. I believe it’s all written. Luck and hard work—it’s all part of the same script," he smiles.

For now, Vaibhav says he is loving the admiration and adulation that is coming his way with Mandala Murders.

Mandala Murders is streaming on Netflix and he shares screen space with Vaani Kapoor and Surveen Chawla. The series also has Shriya Pilgaonkar and Siddhanth Kapoor in pivotal roles.