‘Hateful messages do hit me,’ says Sudhanshu Pandey

From singing to acting, how has been the journey?

Well, I have a huge body of work, including some 47-48 feature films in Hindi, few Tamil films and one Hollywood film. I was a part of India’s first ever boy band, The Band of Boys. We were a rage during 2002-2005. After becoming a part of a show like Anupamaa, I realised how incredibly popular television can make you. I feel blessed.

Talking about your character Vanraj, he is not a typical hero but audiences still love him. What is the reason?

There are shades to Vanraj. He is a multi-dimensional character. There is a very vulnerable side to him. There are so many things to Vanraj’s character that are endearing.

How emotionally taxing is it to portray those scenes where we see Vanraj in a bad light?

I wouldn’t say that it doesn’t affect me at all. Yes, at various points it does hit you. You are playing a negative character, but it’s only a character. There are some times that people also send hateful messages and then you have to tell yourself that it’s okay as they are sending hateful messages not to you, but to your character.

What has been the biggest milestone of your career?

I would say Anupamaa. It’s been a year-and-a-half that I am doing this project and it is going supremely well. This definitely defines as one of the biggest milestones.

You refused many TV offers before you accepted Anupamaa. Why so?

I received many television offers in the past and I refused those for various reasons. Finally, Rajan Shahi’s offer came my way. As it had a fantastic storyline, my character was absolutely brilliant, I said yes.

TV is neither regressive nor restricted to saas-bahu shows now. Do you agree?

Definitely, television has evolved. Now, there is a lot more that TV offers in terms of the character and storylines. Also, I think a lot of shows have now started focusing more on social reforms and sending out social messages.

What do you have to say about the new-generation actors?

Today’s generation is exposed to a lot of information. I don’t know if I can call them too polished but I can say that the younger generation is way too smart and I think it’s good to be well informed. But, when people tend to feel that they know it all, then it becomes a problem.

What’s your take on the OTT boom?

Digital boom has been here for a while and it’s going to grow further. OTT is definitely giving opportunities to many actors.