Gullak 5: Siddhaarth Mishra on playing Dr. Prithvi, the Hrithik connection
Synopsis
Siddhaarth Mishra's Dr. Prithvi in Gullak 5 was built on a single directorial note: channel Hrithik Roshan's ZNMD energy. What followed — germaphobic quirks, an unscripted elbow-door moment, and a finale that costs Prithvi his personal life — shows how Gullak keeps finding new emotional registers within its familiar, beloved world.
Key Takeaways
Siddhaarth Mishra plays Dr.
Prithvi in Gullak 5 , his second outing in the franchise after Gullak 4 .
Director Abhat Raut asked Mishra to draw on Hrithik Roshan's character in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara as a tonal reference.
Prithvi is portrayed as a cleanliness and fitness obsessive whose ambition comes at the cost of his personal life, a thread resolved in the final episode .
Mishra added an unscripted detail — Dr.
Prithvi opens doors with his elbow to avoid germs — which was not in the original script.
The character's health fixation contrasts comedically with Dr.
Priti's enthusiasm for chhole bhature and samosas .
Actor Siddhaarth Mishra has pulled back the curtain on his preparation for Dr. Prithvi, his character in Gullak 5, revealing that director Abhat Raut handed him a deceptively simple brief — channel the spirit of Hrithik Roshan's performance in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The insight offers a rare glimpse into how the beloved slice-of-life series constructs characters who feel instantly recognisable yet layered.
The Director's Brief
Mishra, who had already established himself in Gullak 4, described the character instruction as pointed and precise. 'My character brief by director Abhat Raut was simple, carry the tone and tenor of Hrithik Roshan's character in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Emulate him but obviously not copy him,' the actor said.
According to Mishra, Dr. Prithvi is a high-achiever consumed by ambition — someone who relentlessly pursues the top spot but pays a personal cost in doing so. 'Dr. Prithvi is too focused on what he does and strives to be No. 1, but by being highly ambitious, he pays a price. His personal life takes a hit, as we see in the final episode of Gullak 5,' he explained.
Script Readings That Shaped the Character
Beyond the initial brief, Mishra credited multiple script-reading sessions for giving him a fuller picture of who Dr. Prithvi is beneath the surface. These sessions, he said, revealed a man with near-obsessive tendencies around cleanliness and physical fitness — traits that became the bedrock of his on-screen choices.
One such detail surfaced directly in the dialogue. 'Multiple readings established that he is a cleanliness and health freak. That's where the dialogue in the first scene, Yaar haath toh dho liye hai, lunch ke baad hi haath milaate hain, comes from while speaking to Annu, played by Anant Joshi,' he noted.
The Elbow Detail That Wasn't in the Script
Perhaps the most telling example of Mishra's investment in the role is a physical quirk he introduced himself — one that never appeared in the original script. He described how Dr. Prithvi opens the door to Dr. Priti's cabin using his elbow, a small but loaded gesture that signals his germaphobia without a single word of dialogue.
'An addition that I made was that Prithvi would open the door to Dr. Priti's cabin with his elbow so that he doesn't catch any germs. He enters the cabin with that energy and carries it throughout the scene,' Mishra said. The character's fitness obsession is further underlined by his visible irritation when Dr. Priti expresses delight over chhole bhature and samosas — a moment that reportedly also delights Annu, played by Anant Joshi.
Gullak 5 and What It Signals
The Gullak franchise has built its reputation on grounded, middle-class storytelling, and the introduction of a character like Dr. Prithvi — ambitious, polished, and privately fractured — marks a subtle tonal expansion. Mishra's detailed character work suggests the show continues to invest in performance craft even as it scales its ensemble. With the Gullak 5 finale reportedly delivering a significant personal reckoning for Dr. Prithvi, audiences can expect the ambition-versus-life tension to land with the series' characteristic emotional weight.
Point of View
And that is precisely the trap Gullak 5 sets for Dr. Prithvi. What is notable is how Mishra translated a directorial shorthand into granular physical choices: the elbow door, the grimace at junk food. This is the kind of performance craft that elevates ensemble shows beyond their scripts. Gullak's continued investment in character texture, even for supporting roles, is arguably why the franchise retains audience loyalty that most Indian streaming series cannot sustain past a second season.
NationPress
21 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Siddhaarth Mishra in Gullak 5?
Siddhaarth Mishra plays Dr. Prithvi in Gullak 5, a highly ambitious and cleanliness-obsessed doctor whose drive for success takes a toll on his personal life. He had previously appeared in Gullak 4.
What was Siddhaarth Mishra's character brief for Gullak 5?
Director Abhat Raut asked Mishra to channel the tone and tenor of Hrithik Roshan's character in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara — emulating the energy without copying it directly. The brief shaped Dr. Prithvi's driven, perfectionistic personality.
What unscripted detail did Siddhaarth Mishra add to his Gullak 5 character?
Mishra introduced the choice of Dr. Prithvi opening doors with his elbow to avoid catching germs — a detail not in the original script. It became a defining physical expression of the character's germaphobia and carried through the scene's energy.
What happens to Dr. Prithvi in the final episode of Gullak 5?
According to Mishra, Dr. Prithvi's extreme ambition and single-minded focus on being No. 1 ultimately costs him in his personal life, a consequence that plays out in the final episode of Gullak 5.
Who plays Annu in Gullak 5?
Anant Joshi plays Annu in Gullak 5. The character shares an early scene with Dr. Prithvi that highlights the latter's cleanliness obsession through a piece of dialogue about washing hands before shaking them.
