Actor Sudhanshu Pandey, popularly known for his role as Vanraj Shah in Anupamaa, left fans shocked when he announced his departure from the show in 2024. Sudhanshu’s exit from Anupamaa also gave rise to speculations about tension between him and co-star Rupali Ganguly. In a recent episode of SCREEN’s Dear Me, Sudhanshu set the record straight, sharing insights on his journey with Anupamaa, the craze surrounding Vanraj Shah, and his friendship with Rupali.
Talking about being on the small screen for many years, Sudhanshu said, “Anupamaa was my first daily show, but I began my journey more than two decades ago. At that time, everybody was doing television. Imtiaz Ali, Anubhav Sinha, Mahesh Bhatt, everybody was on TV. I did work with them also. At that time, we used to shoot shows like we did films. That kind of time, luxury. There would be no race against time that the episode has to release day after tomorrow and we are shooting tonight. I didn’t belong to TV till Anupamaa came.”
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Revealing how he bagged the role in Anupamma, Sudhanshu Pandey said, “Anupamaa just went on to become a cult of a different kind. I think it was a blessing. To become what Anupamaa became, you have to have some divine intervention there. Four years back, when I started shooting for the show, I had finished three OTT series. I was shooting for a web series in Kathmandu when Rajan called me. He said, ‘I am sitting in the channel to pitch something, but only if you say yes, I will go ahead with it. My hero has gotten a grey shade, and I cannot see anybody else apart from you playing that role.’”
The actor added, “He gave me a one-liner, and I liked it. When I came back, he gave me a narration, and that’s when we were on for Anupamaa. I did my thinking and asked my astrologer about 4-5 times because it was a daily show and a major commitment. I was a little nervous, but then it finally happened, and the rest is history.”
Sudhanshu Pandey also revealed if he misses Anupamaa and how he made Vanraj an iconic character. Sudhanshu said, “I had my run on the show. I enjoyed being with those people and being in that atmosphere. I gained so much from the show. But when you move on, you miss everything, but you move on. It’s important to do that mentally also because when you are walking ahead, you cannot keep looking back. It might bring emotional distress. I had a great time shooting for the show. I got so much love for the character. I used to wonder that I made the character so deadly that people hated me. They had so much anger for Vanraj, which is where the actor Sudhanshu succeeded. I am glad I was able to create someone so iconic like Vanraj that when I left the show, people were emotionally distraught.”
On announcing his exit publicly and the rumors of a rift with Rupali Ganguly, Sudhanshu explained, “The reason why I announced my exit on social media was because I felt responsible towards my audience. Those who were wondering where Vanraj had gone, I had to tell them that I was not going to be a part of the show. I didn’t want them to be later shocked or heartbroken. At least I told them personally, and they didn’t come to know from other sources.”
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Addressing rumours around issues between him and Rupali, Sudhanshu said, “Even though there are so many stories going around, whatever I said was my side of the story, and it was 100 percent the truth. Stories have nothing to do with reality, so don’t believe them. All is well; the four years have been fantastic. I will cherish being a part of Anupamaa all my life. The equation with Rupali is all okay. I was chatting with her recently. She messaged me about something on Instagram, and we were bickering about it. So it is all fine.”
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On the work front, Sudhanshu Pandey is reportedly a part of Karan Johar’s show The Traitors, which is inspired by an American series of the same name.
