What happens when an actor with a string of acclaimed films walks into a room and nobody recognises him? For Adarsh Gourav, that scenario is not an exception but his everyday reality, and he says he is perfectly at ease with it.

Adarsh Gourav says, "Not being recognised is actually normal" as he opens up about fame

Adarsh Gourav says, “Not being recognised is actually normal” as he opens up about fame

A journey into the Northeast
Gourav has now turned to documentary filmmaking with Voices of the Land, a new series exploring the cultural heritage of India’s north-eastern states. Told to PTI, he recalled that locals on the shoot did not recognise him as an actor known for films such as The White Tiger, Mom, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan and Superboys of Malegaon, as well as the series Guns & Gulaab, with some only looking him up later.

Anonymity as a way of life
Asked whether the anonymity felt refreshing, Gourav told PTI, “I find that anonymity every day. I’m not that recognisable. The kind of films that I’ve done have largely been niche films. They aren’t huge commercial films that release on 5,000 screens across the country.” He added, “For me, not being recognised is actually normal. The day everybody starts recognising me, that’s when things will start feeling abnormal.”

Escaping the city for the wild
Gourav also spoke about having a low tolerance for city life, “I just wanted to get out of the rut of the city and get away from anything related to urban life. I start feeling saturated very quickly. If I don’t run away to a place that has a lot of nature every few weeks, I start feeling burnt out.” He said the project let him reconnect with a tribal lifestyle he had only read about, drawing on memories of growing up around nature in Jamshedpur.

The 31-year-old actor said he had grown up watching travel content and once written to Nat Geo in college hoping to intern there, calling the show a chance to fulfil that ambition. He had visited the Northeast twice before, in 2020 while volunteering with the Wildlife Trust of India on rhino rehabilitation in Assam, and again in 2024, when a trip to Meghalaya left a lasting impression.

Voices of the Land is directed by Megha Ramaswamy and backed by Edstead in collaboration with Air India Express and Dentsu Sports & Entertainment, set to premiere on JioHotstar in July 2026.

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