Sudhanshu Pandey : -On What Went Wrong ?

"I WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS"

WHAT DO YOU CALL A TALENTED AND HANDSOME MAN, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE AN ACTOR, A SINGER AND A PRETTY GOOD DANCER AS WELL? WELL…I WOULD CALL HIM SUDHANSHU PANDEY. AS HIS SOLE SHOW ON TELEVISION, AKELA WRAPS UP, SUDHANSHU DISCLOSES TO SHOWTIME, THE REASONS BEHIND THIS ABRUPT END, HIS WALKOUT FROM BAND OF BOYS AND TELLS US ABOUT HIS UPCOMING FILMS WITH WHICH HE IS SURE TO CREATE WAVES!

ST: You have a number of films and serials to your name, yet your attention has always veered towards the movies. With such a packed schedule, what prompted you to take up Akela?

SP: There were many reasons. The script was fantastic, the first four episodes were fantastic, my good friends, Glen and Ankush were directing it, and I had another very good friend in the production house, Yash Patnaik. Also, I hadn't done anything on television since quite a long time; and they were paying me the money that I had asked for. Everything fell into place, so I took it up.

ST: But what about the rumours that Sudhanshu is out of Akela due to his attitude problems?

SP: I'm not out of Akela, it's getting over. I had a 26 episodes contract with Fireworks, and now I'm finished with my commitment. And talking about my attitude, I'm the wrong person to comment on this one; you should ask others, because they know what I'm like and how I behave. They'll tell you if I have any such issues. I agree there was one article in the newspaper that spoke about my attitude and coming late on the sets. But those are all rumours. I do not like talking about them. I know what the truth is; everyone on the sets knows what the truth is. I don't think it deserves any justification, so, I'm not going to waste my time talking about it.

ST: But isn't Akela coming back for another season with someone else taking your place?

SP: If they are coming back, then you should ask the production house if they'd want me again or not. Though I hope it comes back for another season. I'm not sure if I'll be a part of it or not, because I was not happy about a lot of things that happened during the process of these 26 episodes. I would not like to mention them because it's not a very big deal. Things do go wrong. It's a part and parcel of this industry. I'm fine with it. Since I always have the option of not doing something, I will definitely weigh the pros and cons of doing Akela if it comes back to me and then decide.

ST: We're still wondering what went wrong. First, we had the newspapers talking about some issues and now we have Sudhanshu telling us that things weren't exactly hunky dory. We wonder if the two problems are related to each other or maybe they are one!

SP: I've been very happy with my co-actors; the unit is very nice and we've lived like a family for the last six months. This is the beautiful side of Akela and the problems that came in are on a different level. I've had a very good time on the sets with the production team. If I have an option, I don't think I would want to come back, because I don't think it can ever be the same again.

ST: Well, with those beautiful memories of Akela in your heart, what is your plan next? Another serial?

SP: I'm not looking at television at all in the near future. I was doing films before, and I had planned these 26 episodes in such a way, that as soon as I get done with them, I'll get back to my films. My film, Alibaug is starting immediately after this. It got a little postponed because of Sanjay's (Dutt) verdict. As soon as the schedule is fixed, I'll start working on it. I'm looking forward to doing some really good films this year. I have one release very soon; a movie called Chudiyaan, where Gracy Singh is paired opposite me. It's a love story cum family drama with a Punjabi background. Alibaug, as I told you will start off soon and Dus Kahaaniyan with Sanjay Gupta is already done. Also, in the future I would want to come up as a singer, to combine with my acting. I would love to playback for myself.

ST: The future seems bright for you. Looks like all these movies are good enough, unlike some of your previous ones, which couldn't even manage proper releases.

SP: That's very subjective. Unfortunately, some films work and some don't. Talking about the films that I've done and which didn't do well is silly, because it's something that I can do nothing about. It ultimately depends upon the viewers, God and the fate of the film. I've put in hard work in every film that I've done.

ST: Lady Luck, unfortunately, hasn't been kind enough to you as far as his films are concerned.

SP: My first film was about eight years ago called Khiladi 420, which I think was a very good film. But it didn't do well. I've done a film, Pehchaan with Raveena Tondon as my heroine, but that didn't fare well either. Again, it's not in my hands. I did Yakeen with Priyanka Chopra, and a lot of other good films; like Uns and Manoranjan. It's sad that they weren't hits but that doesn't put them in the category of bad films. Look at Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. They are such big stars, but sometimes their films also don't do well. It all depends on the fate of the film. God only knows what goes wrong, and if anyone could figure that out, then everyone would be making hit films.

ST: Hit films bring to mind your once upon a time hit boy band – Band Of Boys. Nowadays, the band has been pretty low key. Looks like the band lost its charisma after you walked out.

SP: I quit it about three years back but the band is still rocking and I'm very happy for them. I walked out of the band because of management problems. I was not happy with the way the manager was promoting the band. He was not doing enough for it. We had some real good talent, which is still there, but we were not getting our worth. A manager is someone who can make or break the band. He can either promote the band or completely kill it. I had to walk out because at the end of the day, I had to realize that I'm not a single 20-year-old guy. I have a wife and a child to look after, so one cannot be impractical for too long. I had to opt out and start making some money. The band members are now handling everything on their own, as the manager is no more with them. He probably lost interest in it and branched out to do something else. I wish this was the scenario when I was a part of the band.

ST: If this was the case why couldn't the band members just kick the manager out? Why did they stick with him?

SP: We were signed up with him; otherwise we would've just kicked him out. I couldn't do much about it, but I had an option of leaving the band, which I did. I am a singer, and I have to do something about it, because I can't keep it suppressed for too long. Though I'm not looking at launching myself as a singer immediately, I'm sure it's going to happen sometime soon. I want to do it in a big way. I do not want to be just another singer. My advantage is that I'm also an actor; and a dancer, so I consider myself as an overall performer. I think I can really make use of all the skills that I have, polish them, and come back with an even better performance.