Ankur Bhatia, born in February 1980, is an accomplished Indian actor. He was raised in Bhopal, India, and currently resides in New York. His foray into acting commenced in 2010 with Payal Sethi’s production “Grant St. Shaving Co. (2010),” a debut that bore the hallmark of Pooja Kohli’s involvement. His talent garnered recognition in 2012 when he secured the Best Actor Commendation Award at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Film Festival for his role in “Coconut Grove (2011).”

In 2013, Ankur embraced a negative character portrayal in the Indian film “Zanjeer (2013).” His presence was noted in Apoorva Lakhia’s “Haseena Parkar (2017),” alongside Shraddha Kapoor, a venture that premiered on 18 August 2017. The year 2020 witnessed his pivotal contribution to the Disney+ Hotstar show “Aarya (2020),” featuring Sushmita Sen and helmed by director Ram Madhvani.

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Ankur Bhatia, known for his portrayal of ‘Sangram’ in ‘Aarya,’ is set to reunite with Sushmita Sen in her forthcoming series ‘Taali.’ This new project delves into the life of Gauri Sawant. In ‘Taali,’ Sen embodies the character of Gauri Sawant, while Ankur takes on the role of ‘Naveen,’ a gay activist who also oversees an NGO. Naveen emerges as a resolute supporter of Gauri’s cause, standing firmly by her side as she champions the campaign for the recognition of the third gender across all official documents in India.

On his reunion with Sushmita, Ankur shared: “It brought me immense happiness and excitement to reunite with Sushmita after ‘Aarya’, and especially on this kind of a subject that carries such an important message.”

“And it was about time that something like this should come out, so people are aware of this. So, I am really thrilled and honoured to be a part of this show,” added Ankur.

When asked about how he felt initially when he was offered the role, he shares, “When Sushmita Sen told me the rough line of Taali, I was blown away with the fact that despite being a bold role, she didn’t shy away. I know a lot of actors might not take up this challenge since it’s a risk, especially after Aarya.”

He adds, “She mentioned that there is a role of a guy in the film, who is a gay activist and I would be perfect for it. I questioned her about what made her think that I could be the right fit. I thought about it and then Sushmita spoke about me to the team. I also took it as a challenge since so far I have only done alpha male roles.”

Opening up about his role, Ankur shares, “The character I play in Taali is Navin, which is poles apart from Sangram of Aarya. Being a gay activist, Navin has that quality of holding a responsibility for the entire organisation. For the first time ever, I have shaved my beard for a role. I even lost around 7 kilos of weight. I didn’t want to play it in a very caricaturish way. I didn’t want to make a mockery out of it.”

Ankur Bhatia, who experienced a new chapter in his career through the Aarya franchise, perceives the present moment in the industry as truly remarkable. “I consider myself fortunate to have been presented with such opportunities. The projects I’ve been involved in hold distinctiveness from one another. I’m finding immense enjoyment in this journey. Even during the period when OTT platforms were not prevalent, I relished the industry, and now, within the digital realm, my contentment continues. The entertainment business remains inherently unpredictable,” he concludes.