Sudhanshu Pandey Recalls Slipping Into ‘Dark' Phase During Anupamaa: ‘Took A Toll On Me'

News18

2 days ago

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Sudhanshu Pandey, who quit Anupamaa last year, opened up about going into a dark space after playing Vanraj Shah in the daily soap.
Sudhanshu Pandey played Vanraj Shah in the popular television show 'Anupamaa' starring Rupali Ganguly. He quit the daily soap last year, and was recently seen in the reality show The Traitors India. In a recent interview, he recalled slipping into a 'dark phase' while portraying his character Vanraj in Anupamaa. He said that the role affected him deeply and took a toll on him- so much so that he sometimes had to take medication for pain and physical aches due to how intensely he immersed himself in the character.
When asked about the difficulty actors face in returning to normalcy after playing intense roles, Sudhanshu told Bollywood Bubble that it sometimes takes days to recover fully, drawing a parallel with Hollywood actors like Dustin Hoffman, who have needed rehabilitation after certain roles. Sudhanshu emphasized the importance of understanding personal limits when deeply engaging with a character.
'That's where someone like me, who is a very balanced person, comes in. I know that I can go into that space and come back. I mean, I do get affected—naturally. It's happened to me even in a show like Anupamaa. I've touched on dark spaces, and it's hit me very hard. It's taken a toll on me, too. You know, I've even had to take medication for pain and aches sometimes, because I've gone so deeply into the character. But that's just how I am as an actor. I don't care whether it's television or OTT- I give my 100% to everything I play," he said.
Reflecting on his time being a part of Anupamaa, Sudhanshu expressed immense gratitude for the show's impact on everyone involved. While he appreciated the experience, he also noted the exhaustion from playing the same character for four years. He expressed a desire to move on to roles that span shorter durations, allowing him to explore different characters across various platforms over the next few years.
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