Exclusive: 'Why isn’t there a National Award for TV?' questions Anupamaa actor Sudhanshu Pandey

Sudhanshu Pandey/PR image

Sudhanshu Pandey currently seen in Anupamaa as Vanraj Shah, has started a campaign for TV actors to be considered for National awards. He tells mid-day.com all about his plan.

"I joined the world of daily soaps with Anupamaa, I had never experienced this life before that. As luck would have it, the pandemic also started which was the first in our life time and parents' life time as well. When I started shooting, within seven days there was a lockdown. We were all at home for three and half months but the TV industry was still trying to figure a way to start functioning. It is where daily entertainment comes from. We have a lot of daily wagers who work every day to make their living. It has employed so many people. After three and half months, my producer Rajan Shahi took all precautions and there were very few people allowed on set. Only actors could not be masked up. Because we had to be in front of the camera, we were obviously high risk and it was still the first wave. If not the pandemic, sitting at home would kill daily wagers so they were all very happy," says Sudhanshu Pandey.

Further, talking about shooting for Anupamaa despite having Covid-19 cases on the sets, Sudhanshu says, "I have been observing all these things. Lot of people from the set got Covid, but we kept working. Writers would change the story to accommodate an actor's absence when they got Covid. The second wave took everybody by storm and Maharashtra did not allow shooting. We shot in a resort where we created a bio-bubble and transferred our set. We lived in the bio-bubble for two months and everyday one guy was running from Silvassa to Mumbai with a chip to transfer, edit and upload it for telecast. People were lonely during the pandemic with no way to step out. Television was the medium that entertained them. Reruns of period dramas like Mahabharata and Ramayana got highest TRPs."

Reflecting on his campaign, Sudhanshu adds, "If this is the impact of TV, to entertain and influence an entire nation, why is it not getting the recognition it deserves? It is bigger than any other industry. A National Award is the biggest recognition one can get, why isn't it there for TV? My brainchild was, I have to make this happen. This cannot be a passing thought! So I'm speaking to a few friends from media and others because I didn't want the idea to go out till I have the campaign in place and get the industry together. Slowly, we will approach the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the Prime Minister's office to make sure we create this platform for the industry."

Sudhanshu Pandey was earlier seen in films like Murder 2 and Bypass Road.

Also Read: Exclusive: 'Would have been a sportsperson if not an actor,' reveals Anupamaa actor Gaurav Khanna