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Sudhanshu Pandey advised people to treat rumours as stories and emphasised that his equation with Rupali Ganguly was ‘All fine’.
Sudhanshu Pandey played the role of Vanraj Shah in Anupamaa. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Reports of a rift between Sudhanshu Pandey and Anupamaa lead actress Rupali Ganguly circulated for a long time. Fans also speculated tension between the former co-stars on multiple occasions. These rumours were only fuelled by Sudhanshu Pandey’s sudden exit from the show in 2024. Now, months after his departure, the television actor addressed the reports and refuted the claims of tiff between him and Rupali Gunguly.
During an interview with Screen, Sudhanshu Pandey was asked about his public exit announcement from the show and rumours of rift with Rupali. The actor said that he felt responsible towards his audience and realised the need to inform them about his exit as Vanraj from the show. He noted, “Whatever I said at the time was my side of the story and the truth.” Talking about the rumours, he advised people to treat them as stories and not reality. He emphasised that his equation with Rupali is ‘all okay’. He shared, “I was chatting with her recently. She messaged me about something on Instagram, and we were bickering about it.”
He further mentioned that he had a fantastic 4 years working on the show and would cherish the moments spent on the set throughout his life. Pandey played the role of Vanraj Shah in Anupamaa. His powerful performance received immense love from the audience. Although his character was an antagonist, the audience loved his aura and performance. Talking about the response of his character, he noted that people ‘hated’ Vanraj which is where he succeeded as an actor. “I am glad to create something so iconic as Vanraj that when I left the show, people were emotionally distraught,” he said.
After Sudhanshu’s exit, several actors left Anupamaa owing to a 15 year time leap. These include Gaurav Khanna, who played Anuj and Madalsa Sharma who played Kavya. While Rulap was retained, several new faces were roped into the show to play pivotal roles such as Adrija Roy and Shivam Khajuria after the generational leap. Currently, Anupamaa’s plot revolves around Rahi (essayed by Adrija Roy) and Prem’s (Shivam Khajuria) wedding. Produced by Rajan Shahi, the show airs on Star plus and Jiocinema application from Monday to Saturday at 10 pm.
