From winning hearts as the spirited Sanyukta in Sadda Haq to delivering layered performances in Mirzapur and Agra Affair, Harshita Gaur’s journey reflects quiet evolution rather than loud reinvention. Best known for her portrayal of Dimpy Pandit—both loved and debated—she has consistently gravitated towards complex characters that mirror her own emotional growth. In a candid interview with ETimes, Harshita speaks about how the digital space helped refine her craft, why success today feels deeply personal, and how self-love and introspection have shaped both her choices and her performances.
You made a successful transition from TV (Sadda Haq) to impactful web roles like Mirzapur and Agra Affair. How do you think the digital space has expanded your craft compared to television?
Well, digital space has definitely helped in expanding the craft. In television, although I have only done one show and that too youth-based, so I may not have experienced it as much as other TV actors, the length of the serials often leads to monotony. It usually starts very well, but over time, as it becomes repetitive, creativity tends to take a back seat. In digital storytelling, you generally know the start, middle, and end. Everything is more precise. To keep up, everyone across every department needs to be highly creative. I think this clear structure of a beginning, middle, and end really pushes you to work on your craft even more.
Your role as Dimpy Pandit in Mirzapur became iconic. How do you prepare emotionally and mentally for such layered characters, especially in high-intensity projects?
I think there is no straight answer to how one prepares emotionally and mentally. What works for me is writing extensive backstories and focusing on the moments that exist between what is shown on screen. For any character, the audience only sees scene-to-scene moments, but it is the character alone who knows what happens after a particular scene ends, such as what she feels or thinks when she goes to sleep. These moments are not shown to the audience, nor are they meant to be. When I prepare for a role, I pay close attention to these small details. If I am playing a character, I think about how she feels between the written scenes and what her life may have been like while growing up. For instance, if I am playing someone who is 25 or 26 years old, I consider what might have happened in her teenage years. I concentrate deeply on building this backstory and continue writing, which helps me immensely. I also have extensive discussions with my writers and directors. I tend to ask a lot of questions, which can sometimes be annoying, but I believe it is an important part of my process. I do not think anyone is ever fully prepared on the first day of shooting. The character continues to unfold as you begin performing, revealing more with time. That is why I believe there is no single, straightforward answer to this process.
How has been your experiences with Mirzapur costars and directors and what did you learn from each one of them?
Oh, to tell you what I learned from each one of them would be a very long list, because Mirzapur has so many actors. I share a great equation with all my co-actors and directors, and in fact, they are among the closest people I have in the industry and form my core group. Over the course of my journey with Mirzapur, I learned so much, from working on my craft and emotions to understanding how to approach a scene and ease into a character. All of these learnings have come from observing and working with different actors on the project, and I feel it is still an ongoing learning process. I have learned a great deal overall, not just professionally but also in life, off-screen as well. My real life has improved because of the people I met through this project.
From television to digital platforms, how has your understanding of success evolved over the years?
My understanding of success has definitely evolved, and I think that naturally happens as you grow older. Today, success for me really comes down to just four or five things. It means feeling motivated every day and genuinely happy when you go to work. It means having a few close friends you can call at any time. It also means going to sleep feeling grateful for even two or three things in your life, and constantly working on yourself. Most importantly, if you are truly happy with the work you are doing, I think that is a huge measure of success. A lot of people do not even get the opportunity to pursue their passion or feel fulfilled by their work. Not everyone is privileged in that way, as life brings many challenges. But if you can do what you love and find happiness in it, you should definitely consider yourself successful.
After Sadda Haq ended, you’ve openly discussed going through a period of depression and withdrawal before seeking therapy. What did that experience teach you about resilience and self-care?
Self-care, for me, is really about taking care of myself. When I say myself, because I am an actor, I mean taking care of how I’m feeling every day and how I’m looking. And when I say how I’m looking, I really mean the health of my body, my skin, and my hair. I have learned over the years to not derive emotional happiness from anywhere else, and that has become a big part of what self-care means to me. It’s about spending time with yourself every day, whether you’re working or not, especially the first two hours after you wake up. During challenging times, I think when you do this daily, you’re pretty much prepared for anything that life throws at you.
Are you someone who believes in actively seeking love, or do you trust timing and emotional alignment more than effort?
I used to actively seek love, but now I have become someone who truly believes in alignment. I also believe that what you are seeking has to come from within yourself. When I was looking for love and validation from the outside, I was not giving it to myself. I was not loving myself enough, and I was not validating myself enough. I have realised that everything starts from within. So, keep working on yourself and trust the timing and emotional alignment, because you really cannot do much beyond that.
What was young Harshita like before fame?
It’s very interesting because only recently I’ve started realising what Harshita was like before all of this happened. I think she was more carefree, more confident, and she truly loved herself. Somehow, that version of me faded away a long time ago. It’s weird because when you start working and actually begin achieving more, a lot of insecurity and self-doubt start creeping in. There comes a point when you have to go back to your younger self, and I think that’s exactly what I did. That is why I mentioned earlier that self-love is far more important than seeking anything from the outside. All of these changes happened when I realised that I needed to go back to my younger self.
Were you always inclined towards performance and creativity, or did acting discover you later in life?
Ever since I can remember, the only thing I wanted to be in life was an actor and a performer on stage. It’s funny because my mom says I told her I wanted to be an actor when I was just eight years old, without even understanding what acting really meant. Maybe that came from the fact that I had been performing Kathak on stage since I was four. Initially, it starts with performing and receiving a lot of validation from people. Friends, their parents, and audiences respond to you, and people naturally get drawn to performers. I think that’s where it began for me. Over time, that inclination never faded. In fact, it kept growing. The more life happened to me, the more I fell in love with performing. So, in short, I have always been inclined towards performance and creativity.
Looking ahead, what kinds of roles or projects are you most excited to explore?
I get very excited to explore new roles, even if something is similar to what I have done before. I always feel that you can find something new in a familiar character, because there is always some difference to discover. Being on a set excites me the most. If I had to choose, I would love to explore more negative shades and take on more action-oriented roles as well. Overall, any character that comes my way excites me, and I truly enjoy exploring every aspect of it.
If you could go back and speak to your teenage self—before success, heartbreak, or self-doubt—what would you tell her?
I would have definitely told my teenage self, in fact, yes, my teenage self, not to change. I would have said, “Do not change. Just be this way. Do not change anything. Do not get influenced.” I say this because I feel I was influenced by many things that happened to me over the course of my life. Today, when I look back at my teenage, younger self, I realise how great she was. I actually find myself thinking, “Oh my God, you were great.”
