Thakur Anoop Singh

Personal Life

Pilot Turned Television Actor

Coming from a Rajput family settled in Mumbai, no one from Thakur Anoop Singh’s family has been in showbiz. Anoop actually trained to become a pilot at The Dowling School of Aviation, New York. But a recession in the airline industry affected his job prospects. So he decided to try his hand at acting, something he had always loved. But since he knew nothing about it, he got rejected at 129 auditions!. But he didn’t let that deter him. He kept going, putting aside frustration till he bagged small TV roles. The day he got chosen to play Dhritharashtra in the Mahabharat serial, he was thrilled. But the show didn’t go on the floors and he was back to square one! However, he did bag the role of Hanuman in the Ramayana serial in 2010 and then several parts in historical and mythological shows. 2 years later, the Mahabharat serial got made and he became well known, playing Dhritharashtra in a show which was a hit in 25 countries.

But though he was a household name, there was a flip side too. When most people would baulk at the thought of playing a character from 25 to 125 years, he took up the challenge and used the rich experience it brought in him. He was playing Dhritarashtra from a youth to a 125-year-old grandfather. He got immense exposure to training with Naseeruddin Shah, Shernaz Patel and Rajat Kapoor. He learnt horse riding, handling weapons and doing stunts and martial arts, thanks to this role. He even read the entire Mahabharata and the Gita which had a huge effect on him. The ‘do your duty without thinking about the fruits’ ideology has been a guiding force in his career. But by the end of the serial he was huge physically, playing a bulky warrior and old man. His looks were gone since he was more concerned about his performance.

When the serial was drawing to a close, at a film audition, he met one of the leading casting director from Bollywood. The director gave him a reality check. He realized after talking that if he wanted to enter films, he needed to work on his physique. He had to become lean and gain muscle definition and get rid of the bulky look. It was an uphill task. But he took the rejection as a positive projection and decided to transform himself completely to get into cinema.

Television Actor Turned Mr.World

It was a grueling journey from flab to fit. But when the going got tough, Anoop got tougher in his resolve. His perseverance got him not only national but also international recognition. He bagged the Fit Factor Mr India title at the Body Power Expo 2015 at Mumbai and a Bronze Medal for India at the Mr Asia in Asian Championship championship at Uzbekistan. He then went on to become the first Indian athlete to bag the Gold and title of Mr World 2015 World Bodybuilding Championships (WBPF), Thailand in the Physical Fitness category. The journey from pilot to actor to international athlete had its lows but gave him an immense high.

Mr. World Turned Movie Star

His dream to enter films turned into reality when he landed a role in Tollywood biggie Puri Jagannadh’s film Rogue He knew that with this type of physique, would make a good villain in Telugu cinema. It was uncanny how things fell into place. During a visit to Hyderabad had seen a big crowd around director Puri Jagannadh’s shooting in Gachhiboli. he felt strongly that someday day he should work with him. he followed his conviction and months later when he heard he was shooting in Goa, He took a flight from Mumbai to Goa and somehow managed to meet him. The producer/Director seemed to like him. 10 days later he got a call for an audition for Rogue, in Hyderabad and he was in.

The S3 producer Gnanavel Raja saw his photos when he met Puri. he got a call from them and before he knew it, he was signed on for Singam 3. Shooting in Chennai before setting off for the S3 Malaysia schedule, Anoop Singh has his hands full. His diet consists of veggies, egg whites and chicken with workouts at the gym 3 times a day for several hours. Its only then that he can maintain the physique he worked so hard for. Apart from the rigorous fitness regimen, there is one other thing that takes up his time. He is determined to learn his dialogues be it for Telugu or Tamil.

Immortalized In Wax

Thakur Anoop Singh with Sunil Kandalloor at his wax statue unveil

On 17th Oct 2016, Mumbai the Rising star Mr. World 2015, Thakur Anoop Singh unveils his wax statue made by the very famous wax sculptor Sunil Kandalloor of, Sunil Celebrity’s Wax Museum (Lonavala). This is the first model that Sunil Celebrity Wax Museum, famous for their wax model creations; have carved a Wax Model of a Physique Sports Athlete.

Anoop is also the second Indian Sportsperson after Kapil Dev to be immortalized in wax at Sunil Celebrity’s Wax Museum. While some people inherit stardom, some achieve stardom with their hard work, dedication, constant effort and willpower to be successful and make a mark in their lives. Anoop is one of them, born in the family of Intellectuals chose to turn his passion into profession.

Most known as the winner of title - Mr. World 2015, World Body Building Championship; & Dhritrashtra of Mahabharat, Anoop will soon be a household name with his silver screen debut in Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood & In Marathi Industry.

Titles

TV Shows

Filmography

     Denotes films that have not yet been released

External links

• Thakur Anoop Singh at the Internet Movie Database
• Thakur Anoop Singh on Twitter
  
• Thakur Anoop Singh on Facebook
• Thakur Anoop Singh on Instagram

References

Fitness lesson from Thakur Anoop Singh