The world of television is something else, says Sudhanshu Pandey, who’s currently seen playing Vanraj Shah in Anupamaa. Sudhanshu has been a part of Bollywood for many years, but the adulation owing to the TV show is unmatchable. However, he doesn’t want the real Sudhanshu Pandey to be lost in this and is constantly looking to reinvent himself. In a candid chat, he spoke to us about this and more. Excerpts:

I got some new photographs shot. In fact, I planned a proper photoshoot after many years. I did this because I am looking at a certain image change. My character, Vanraj Shah in Anupamaa, is a very strong character and I have been playing that for a year, and yes, I have been getting a great response for it. But I want people to also remember me for what I am. I had started my career as a fashion model and have worked with top designers. So, I felt like doing a different kind of photoshoot where I could pose like a model. I thought let me remind people and tell them that Vanraj Shah is a character you see on TV, but Sudhanshu Pandey is what you can see through these pictures.

I have been a part of over 40 films and even played the hero opposite actresses like Priyanka Chopra, Raveena Tandon and Gracy Singh. I also played the villain in one of the most expensive films, 2.0, and did an international film with Jackie Chan. So, I have done a lot of work. When it came to television, I had to think hard before taking up this show. It took a lot of strength to take the leap from the world that I was in into the daily soap world. But I believe God always shows you the way and guides you in the right direction. With Anupamaa, the kind of popularity I have witnessed today is almost unreal, I have never seen this before. It’s a big milestone in my career and one of the best things that has happened to me.

When I was offered the show by producer Rajan Shahi, there was no title. It was a love triangle and essentially, it was the story of a family woven around these three characters. I never had any apprehensions because, at the end of the day, every character in the show is equally strong and important in taking the story forward. The story may be told from Anupama’s perspective, but it’s everybody’s story.

Yes, TV shows can go on forever, but I haven’t thought about that. It’s just one year that I have dedicated 100 per cent of my time to this show and haven’t touched anything else. Slowly, as time passes by, we’ll see, God will show me the way. Right now, the show is running beautifully, and I have no reason to think of anything else.

No. I had just got married and I came to Mumbai with my wife, who has always been very supportive. I was just brave enough to come here and say, ‘Boss, I am going to pursue my dream and make a life in this city.’ Since I was a model in Delhi, I continued modelling here and then moved to acting. Now, I just want to grow as an actor. I have a dream and it’s not to win an Oscar, but the National Award and make my family proud.

I had the privilege of being a part of India’s first boy band and it was great. We performed in India and across the globe and were much appreciated. But gradually, I switched to acting because I had a family to take care of, and music at that time wasn’t financially viable. But I love singing and a couple of years ago, I had launched a single and I am recording another now. I will continue singing because that’s something I am very passionate about.

In a chat with Bombay Times, Pooja Bedi, one of the leading advocates of the #MenToo movement, talks about Karan Oberoi finally being out on bail after a month, and how supporters will join hands to work towards making changes in the legislation
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; June 10, 2019)

Last week, Bombay High Court’s Justice Revati Mohite-Dere granted bail to actor-singer Karan Oberoi, who was in judicial custody. He was arrested after a tantrik-cum-healer accused him of rape and extortion. Since his arrest, close friends of the actor, including Pooja Bedi, had been vocal on social media about the case and how they felt that Karan has been wrongly accused.

Tonight, Pooja is hosting a dinner at her house, where Karan’s friends and supporters will come together to welcome him home. In a chat with Bombay Times, she speaks about the ordeal that they all went through in the last one month, the tremendous support from lawyers and activists across the country, and the overwhelming backing that the #MenToo movement has received so far…

‘THERE ARE 600 CASES LIKE KARAN’S IN JUST TALOJA JAIL’
On his way back home from the jail, Karan did a video chat with Pooja, who could not personally be by his side. She says, “Karan was smiling, teary-eyed and overwhelmed with gratitude to see all the love and support pouring in from so many quarters. It has been an extremely traumatic experience for him. He sounded upbeat to be out, but I could see the wear and tear on his face from being in jail for a month. He is now determined to take this forward and make sure that this does not happen to any other man. He said that there were 600 cases similar to his in just Taloja jail (Navi Mumbai). Imagine the state across the country.”

TAKING THE #MENTOO MOVEMENT FORWARD
The #MenToo movement has been gathering tremendous momentum in the last month. And now, a huge number of people, including lawyers and activists, are holding a public rally in Azad Maidan from 11 am to 1 pm on June 15. Pooja says, “The rally will see supporters of #MenToo, and Karan along with his A Band Of Boys (his music group). They will sing a couple of songs to highlight the issue. We are going to take bytes of people, and capture the sentiment about fake cases that is gripping the nation. We want to start changing things and are taking concrete measures to ensure that this initiative gains momentum.”

‘WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS MAKING LEGISLATIVE CHANGES’
Pooja, along with an entire team including experts and lawyers, are working towards making changes in the legislation, which is the need of the hour. “Prominent lawyers across the country have come forward with different suggestions, information, clauses, supportive laws and cases to back our appeal for #MenToo and why we need it. They have brought forth many clauses, different laws that need amendment and different ways to prosecute women for fake cases. Lawyers are helping us to formulate an entire way forward for #MenToo and advising us how to make legislative changes in Parliament and in the Law Commission of India.” 

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 8, 2019)

Three days after Karan Oberoi was arrested on rape and extortion charges levelled against him by a fashion designer-and-healer, his friends have come out in support of him. Sudhanshu Pandey, Sherrin Verghese and Chaitanya Bhosle — the members of A Band Of Boys, the Indipop boy band formed in 2001, which also featured Karan — held a press conference last evening along with Karan’s sister Bani and his friend Pooja Bedi at the latter’s residence.

Hours before the conference was scheduled to be held, Sudhanshu told BT, “I have known Karan since two decades, and that’s a long time to know a person. All of us go through our shares of ups and downs in life, and Karan, too, has been through his own journey. I have seen the way he has reacted to situations. He is one of the most disciplined and compassionate guys I have ever come across. He has been extremely chivalrous with women. Had anything nasty been going on in his life, I would have known, as my in-laws stay a stone’s throw away from his home. All I can say is that the charges on him are unbelievable.”

Ask him if he knew about Karan’s association with this girl and he replies, “Not at all. I have known about Karan’s relationships; we are that close. But I have no clue about this particular girl.”

Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2019)

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi remembers feeling a little concerned when she got behind the microphone after 13 years. Her worst fears were realised when she discovered that she had “literally experienced a voice block”. She says, “I’ve been singing on stage ever since I was a child. But when I stopped singing about a decade ago, I lost my core.” Luckily, Suchitra’s guru, Ravi Jule, was there to encourage her. “He told me, ‘Tum Suchitra Krishanamoorthi ki awaaz bhool gayi ho, main nahin bhula’ (You may have forgotten Suchitra Krishanamoorthi’s voice, but I haven’t).” A little help from him and a nudge from friend and music veteran Atul Churamani helped the the pop singer—remembered for her 1990s prime-time hits such as “Dole Dole” and “Dum Tara”—add a new single, “Sawan Barse,” to her repertoire last November. Despite mixed reviews, it has 2.3 million Youtube views and Suchitra is clearly on a comeback trail.

She’s not the only one. Several artistes from the ’90s ‘Indipop boom’ are trying to make their way back into public memory. Alisha Chinai, who straddled the ’80s and the ‘90s with her catchy, foot-tapping hits, “Zooby Zooby” and “Made in India”, uploaded an English track called “Wild Heart”.

The Band of Boys, the five-piece-boy-band that is down to four, also came up a number, “Dil Sar Fira”, a few months ago and is giving final touches to the music video of their next, “O Chori”. Baba Sehgal --whose bare-chested ‘Jatissmo’ in music videos pumped up hits like “Dil Dhadke” and “Manjula”— has been the most prolific, having written, composed and produced videos for at least 80 songs in the last three years. The songs have been about everything, from chicken fried rice to Donald Trump.


On a rebound
Trying to break into the market as an Indipop artiste must have been hard enough the first time. Trying to do it again, in an industry where no one buys music any longer, can be just as challenging. Luckily, our popstars are prepared for this reality. “I am producing music under my own label and hosting it on my social media channels, since no one has bought my music in the last 10 years,” says Baba. His new songs sometimes feature in jingles and TVCs, thanks to product positioning (foods company would pass up a chance to ‘borrow’ a Baba Sehgal creation extolling the virtues of vada pav?). Even his Tweets rhyme: One MB is 1000 KB/ Weekend ka kya plan hai, baby? And he knows the rules of the game: “You have to be active to survive.”

Baba struck gold on YouTube when he returned to the scene three years ago with his cringe pop single “Going To The Gym (317k views), followed by “Chicken Fried Rice” (737k views) and “Aloo Ka Paratha” (829k views) making him an overnight internet sensation. But a comeback today cannot be sustained if one rests on one’s laurels, he reasons. “Stepping out of your comfort zone gives you reach and lets you connect with audiences who may or may not listen to your music. Sometimes, you have to do something that’s not what your audience expects you to do.” Two years ago, Baba made a video of him singing and played the djembe (an African-origin drum) to “Rashke Qamar”. “A tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and got 2.7 mn views.”


Reality bites
Sherrin Varghese, a member of Band of Boys, who also services the ad-film industry and performs live gigs on the side, opines that the music industry has made it virtually impossible for independent artists to thrive on their own. “Today, if I release a song on my own, I have to spend Rs 25 lakh just be on the shelf, and it would still get the 3 am slot, because Bollywood has bulk bought the adspace. What you see on TV are only 30-second promos and not the entire song any more. In the ’90s, songs were aired meritoriously and callers demanded them,” he sighs.

Even Alisha is not entirely oblivious of this shift in economics in the music industry. “Streaming brings in revenue only once you cross a certain number (of views) and a lot of it is available for free, so the revenue is much less now. Everyone is feeling the pinch, even in the West,” she avers. And while the singer is well aware that “there is no market for English music in India”, she asserts that social media is so big now that you don’t really need a music label and you can put out what you feel like. Her recent upload “Wild Heart” is a number synonymous with her own personality and was composed in 1990 as a demo (when she was living in New York). It lay in her wardrobe till she decided to upload it, along with a lyrics video, on YouTube. “It’s a showcase of your work — to make yourself visible again”, says Alisha who pins her absence in the last few years on personal issues.

That “Made in India” is still the largest-selling Indipop album and has 58 million views on YouTube is reassuring but it also raises the bar for Alisha. “I may have had monster hits such as 'Kajra Re', 'Kaante Nahin Kat Te', 'Sexy Sexy', 'Tinka Tinka' and others, but playback singing was just a second option for me. I was always essentially a pop artiste,” says the singer who plans to do tours later this year once she has a decent collection of new music.

Even Suchitra backs the commercial viability of live gigs. “Digital doesn’t have a reliable revenue model yet to sustain an artist so one has to turn to live performances,” she says. The singer has been performing along with her guru and solo as well. She plans to do more tours this year. “Kaveri will be going to college soon, so I plan to get myself even more busy,” she says. Her daughter released her own single, “Did You Know” two years ago.

Keeping up with the times
What’s hip today will be vintage tomorrow, and the musical preferences couldn’t be more fickle than it is today. “The consumption is so voracious today that even the best song in the world would only last for a month,” says Sherrin, admitting that their new compositions account for existing fans and contemporary listening tastes.

Baba agrees that songs have become ‘perishable’ and constantly producing new stuff is the answer: “Inspiration can come from anywhere.” His latest brainwave was triggered by a guy’s challenge in reaching his girlfriend’s apartment. The lyrics go, “Tera Flat Hain In Pachchas Mala, Open Karunga Tere Dil Ka Taala, Tere Pyar Ka Banunga Mein Caretaker, Chahe Lift Mein Aa Jaye Alligator. (Chorus) Elevator Mein Aligator, I’m Your Lover, Not Your Hater”.

Even Suchitra has stuck her neck out to try out something she never thought she’d ever consider — recording a cover. “I never did it when I was a solo artist. But now I am inspired by artists like Vidya Vox who have millions of subscribers on YouTube. There are artists who have made careers just singing covers alone,” she reasons.

Surviving social media
One aspect that the popstars weren’t prepared for was the brutality of social media and the onslaught of anonymous trolls. Among the initial comments to Suchitra’s comeback music video “Sawan Barse” was a particularly hurtful one which said ‘tera sawan baras gaya’ or some such nonsense. Given the accessible and democratic nature of social media, being open to judgement and criticism is something our former popstars have to be prepared for. Baba, for one, has developed a thick skin over the years. “When I was a social-media newbie three years ago, there would be trolls roundly abusing me. Now I still get trolled, but I’ve also acquired followers who abuse my trolls back,” he smiles, adding that one of his videos received over a thousand abusive comments. “As long as they are getting traction, it’s fine. Being abused is fine too — it means that they are being noticed. Even big stars get trolled.”