Burnaby child actor gets animated with new Netflix series "Deepa & Anoop"

Burnaby’s Pavan Bharaj loves to laugh, play, and run around like many children her age.

The difference for this 12-year-old however is that she does these things to help her get into character before stepping into the recording booth.

Bharaj is the voice actor of Anoop, the titular character in the new animated Netflix series, Deepa & Anoop. The colourful and delightful children’s series debuted on the streaming service this week.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Golden (@netflixgolden)

You might also like:
• Sunflower Lemonade: First African Canadian dramedy in history filmed in Vancouver
• Vancity Raps: New documentary explores Vancouver's underground hip-hop scene
• From super fan to superhero: Canada's Iman Vellani on her journey to playing "Ms. Marvel" (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

“Deepa & Anoop is about a little girl named Deepa and her best friend Anoop, who is a colour-changing elephant,” explained Bharaj in an interview with Daily Hive. “They have fun living in their family’s B&B called Mango Manor.

“Deepa is a 7-year-old South Asian girl and she lives with her multigenerational family. For her, every day brings a new adventure where she is problem-solving and learning something new.”

Bharaj can relate to discovering new experiences: Deepa & Anoop is her first ever professional acting role.

Pavan Bharaj in the recording studio (Sabrina Bharaj/Submitted)

“I was always a shy kid and I never really thought of pursuing film or television. I didn’t know what voice acting was,” Bharaj shared. “This opportunity just came out of the blue and I was so shocked that I got the part. After I started doing the voice recording, I realized how much I enjoyed the creative process and I began to think that acting is something that I might want to do.

“After I got the part, I started working with a voice coach to improve my singing and overall musical skills because each show features a Bollywood Style song.”

The 12-year-old’s mother, Sabrina, isn’t that surprised by her daughter’s leap into acting.

“Pavan was always creative even from a young age. She would always put on shows and make movies with her younger siblings,” said Sabrina. “But she was also very shy. So when I saw this opportunity, I thought that it would be something she would be good at. She could enjoy the creative outlet without the pressure of being on camera.”

Courtesy of Netflix and Mattel

Deepa & Anoop was created by Bollywood animator Munjal Shroff, writer Lisa Goldman, and producer Heather Kenyon, with production services provided by Kickstart Entertainment. It is also Mattel Television’s first original series based on original intellectual property.

Recording began in July 2020 in a Vancouver sound studio and took just over a year to complete all 13 episodes. Bharaj was able to attend school online while also working on the series.

“Deepa is a very energetic young girl, so often before recording sessions, I would jump around and be silly so I could get into character,” said Bharaj. “I also used my little sister, Nisha, as a muse and thought about her and my younger self, when I was recording lines to help me create this character.

Pavan Bharaj in the recording studio (Sabrina Bharaj/Submitted)

“There are a few similarities between me and Deepa: we are both creative problem solvers, we both love animals and we are both not afraid of taking on big responsibilities like babysitting. We both love our families very much too.”

Deepa & Anoop‘s main cast is voiced by actors of Indian descent, including Bharaj, Veena Sood as Naani-ji, and Ana Sani as Mama.

Sabrina is proud of her daughter for helping to increase representation in media.

“Representation is so important,” said Sabrina, who explains that their family is Punjabi. “To have this opportunity to have a show like ours reach so many people on a platform like Netflix is such an amazing opportunity to foster the message of inclusivity and gender equality.

“I am exceedingly proud of Pavan. So proud that I feel like I could burst! She worked so hard and it was such a big learning curve for her and our whole family. She is an amazing girl and much like Deepa, she can do anything she puts her mind to.”

Bharaj is also excited that other children and families just like hers get to enjoy seeing themselves onscreen.

“When I was younger I often felt like I was different because I didn’t see families like mine on TV,” added Bharaj. “Being a part of Deepa & Anoop makes me feel proud because I can stop other kids from feeling the way I did and make them feel valued. I really hope that people watch the show and enjoy it.”