Manish Naggdev on playing Toshu in Anupamaa: “I want people to know that there is much more to me as an actor”

By IANS | Updated: October 6, 2026 13:45 IST

Mumbai, Oct 6 Actor Manish Naggdev, who plays Toshu in the popular television show “Anupamaa,” has opened up about his journey with the character and his aspirations as an actor.In an exclusive quote shared with IANS, he said he wants audiences to see the wider range of his acting abilities beyond the role that has become closely associated with him. Manish shared, “For me, the important thing is that, at the end of the day, it is Manish Naggdev who should remain with the audience—not just the perception they have created around one particular character. I want people to know that there is much more to me as an actor than the face they have seen most recently.”

Reflecting on his journey, Manish, who recently completed two years of playing Toshu, said the experience has also made him think about how audiences perceive him as an actor.

“Over the years, I have consciously tried to break the perception audiences may have formed about me. But today, I don’t think about it as much because when you are doing a television show, you have to completely surrender to the character and the story that needs to be told.”

He further mentioned that television allows actors to develop a strong bond with the audience but believes that one role should not define an actor’s entire career. “Once the show ends, my conscious effort will definitely be to choose a character that is very different from the ones I have played before. If you look at my career graph, you will see that I have always tried to do that.”

Manish Naggdev plays the role of Toshu in Rajan Shahi and Deepa Shahi’s daily soap “Anupamaa.” He joined the Rupali Ganguli starrer in October 2024 after the storyline took a significant 15-year leap. Naggdev stepped into the role previously played by Gaurav Sharma, who left the series as he was reportedly not keen on portraying the father of a grown-up child.

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