Raj Anadkat talks about donning multiple roles, from South Indian to Gujarati, in ‘United State of Gujarat’!
Mumbai, COLORS Gujarati’s latest show, United State of Gujarat is an engaging family drama that beautifully captures the essence of tradition and modernity. The story revolves around Yamuna (portrayed by Ami Trivedi), a woman who defies her family’s wishes by marrying against their will and fleeing to London. Years pass, and Yamuna’s daughter, Kay (portrayed by Sana Amin Sheikh) discovers her mother’s painful past, realizing that her family in India has severed all ties with her.
Determined to reunite the estranged family, she returns to India under the guise of attending her grandmother’s (Portrayed by Ragini Shah) birthday, with the hope of rekindling old relationships. Along the way, a love story blossoms between her and Keshav (portrayed by Raj Anadkat), who becomes an important part of her mission to reunite her family.
Raj Anadkat takes on multiple versatile roles in the show, showing his talent for transformation. From the tough, action-driven Jignesh Singh Jatta in one scene to the comical and endearing Kanji Karsandas in disguise, Anadkat’s ability to effortlessly switch between different personas keeps audiences hooked. In a special twist, he also improvises as Chinnaswami Muthuswami Venugopal Iyer, a South Indian character, adding depth and humor to the story. Each role allows Anadkat to explore a new facet of his acting, making his performance one of the highlights of the show.
Speaking about his experience, Raj Anadkat shared, ““Working on this show has given me the incredible opportunity to play a variety of characters, from a tough cop to a lively Gujju and even a charming South Indian man. Portraying the cop was intense—I had to handle a real hunter, and while it hurt at first, once I locked into the character, that pain became part of the performance.
On the flip side, stepping into the shoes of Kanji Karsandas and improvising as Chinnaswami Muthuswami Venugopal Iyer was pure joy! While playing Kanji Karsandas, I faced some challenges in getting the proper Kathiyawadi accent. Co-actors like Ragini Ma’am and Vandana Ma’am helped me and corrected me during the scene. As for my South Indian character, during a scene, our creative director suddenly informed us that the character needed a South Indian background. I didn’t hesitate for a second—I was instantly excited to dive into this role and improvised on the spot! It was such a blast to shoot, and it made the entire episode more enjoyable.”
