Anupriya Goenka on Khoj: Parchaiyo Ke Uss Paar – A Dynamic Journey of Improvisation and Character Depth

ZEE5’s latest psychological thriller, Khoj: Parchaiyo Ke Uss Paar, released on 27th December 2024, has captivated audiences with its gripping narrative and stellar performances. Directed by Prabal Baruah and produced by Juggernaut, the series features Sharib Hashmi, Anupriya Goenka, and Aamir Dalvi in key roles.

Speaking about her experience working on Khoj, Anupriya Goenka shared insights into the collaborative and dynamic process behind the scenes. “I’m used to sharing a lot of feedback, and I improvise a lot wherever possible—especially with Sharib. Since it’s an emotional drama between a husband and wife, set in a very personal space rather than a technical one, there was a lot of improvisation. In fact, there was a scene we did that we could have almost managed in one take. We didn’t have much time—we were shooting last minute—and it was a huge scene that Sharib and I had to finish. He just went for it, and thankfully, in Khoj, we shot a lot of it linearly because we mostly had one location. Shooting in sequence really helped because, with so much to finish in very little time, it would have been hard to manage otherwise. It also allowed us to stay more in sync with our characters, which is generally not a privilege you have in long-format shoots. That particular scene had so much improvisation—not just from the actors but also from the cameraman, who was seeing the view and adapting with us. Improvisation is such a beautiful thing; that’s where the magic happens. Everyone—even the people not in the frame—was improvising behind the scenes, and we all contributed wherever we could. Aamir also improvised a lot, and we would react to his improvisation, which made the process even more dynamic and exciting.”

When discussing her character and its impact, Anupriya reflected on the layers she aimed to portray. “I don’t know whether the audience would immediately notice something which is important to my character. I just hope that the layers come out in some sense, that sometimes she is one person and sometimes she seems to be someone else. It is difficult for the audience to place her, whether to believe her or to not, I hope we’ve managed it somewhere. That is what is interesting for me because Sharib is a very good actor as well. He’s also very convincing with what he does so it was a great battle of that, two actors who are convincing in their parts. If I’m convincing in my part, it will become interesting for the audience, so I hope that happened. And to answer the later part, I had Chicken Guniya while was shooting for it [Anupriya giggled] A lot of joint pain and I have put on weight. I hope the audiences do not notice that.”

With its intense narrative, compelling performances, and collaborative energy on set, Khoj: Parchaiyo Ke Uss Paar offers viewers a psychological thriller that is both engaging and emotionally resonant. Now streaming on ZEE5, the series promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.