Umesh Pherwani on his eight-year break from acting: Every step was intentional and aimed at improving my craft

When an actor steps away from the spotlight, it’s often to rediscover themselves and deepen their craft. Umesh Pherwani, best known as Dheer Potia from Family Number 1 (1998), did just that. After an eight-year hiatus, the actor is making a thoughtful return to acting, armed with a renewed sense of purpose. He shares, “I realised that to grow as an actor truly, I needed a deeper understanding of the human psyche. During this time, I travelled to 53 countries, attended acting workshops with some of the best in the industry, and hosted over 1,700 shows across 50 countries. I completed my Master’s in Psychology, wrote 10 books on human behaviour and health, studied Neuroscience of Human Behaviour at Stanford University, and even explored mentalism and mind reading under renowned international mentalists. Every step was intentional and aimed at improving my craft.”
Ask him if he feared being forgotten during his time away, and he replies, “I’ve never believed in the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ philosophy. In today’s content-saturated world, constant visibility can be a disadvantage — it makes you predictable. Instead, I focused on self-improvement, which demands patience and effort. While away from mainstream acting, I stayed connected to live audiences through regular performances with improv comedy groups. So, I never truly stepped away.”
Now, Umesh is back to what he calls his first love — acting — with Ekta Kapoor’s web series Power of Paanch. He plays Barkha Bisht’s husband Akshat. The story revolves around five friends who discover supernatural powers. Talking about his role, the actor, last seen in Fear Files (2017), says, “Akshat is a caring husband and loving father who manages to stay positive despite the chaos and manipulation around him. We’ve already completed 50 episodes, and I am excited to be part of such an engaging story.”