Sudhanshu Pandey, currently most popular as Vanraj Shah in the hit TV series Anupamaa, recently shared a unique memory from his early modeling career that featured none other than Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. In an open interview, Sudhanshu spoke about how Aishwarya once addressed him as the “next supermodel” on one of their early ad photo shoots together. This praise, from a person as larger-than-life and well-respected as Aishwarya, was an act of encouragement that he asserts he will never forget.
Prior to establishing a foothold in television and cinema, Sudhanshu already established a solid ground in the field of modeling. He had started working in Nainital where he had noticed an advertisement in the magazine that prompted him to take his chances in Delhi. With the help of his parents, he relocated to the capital and got his first assignment, a suiting campaign in 1994, for which he received ₹25,000. The success at a young age gave him confidence and more assignments, including a big center-spread spread in Time magazine, which increased his exposure in the modeling world considerably.
Sudhanshu soon gained stature and became one of India’s leading male models within a year. He revealed that even big names like Milind Soman had complimented his appearance, terming it as “perfect.” It was in this phase that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who herself was on the ascendancy at the time, saw Sudhanshu’s potential and referred to him as “the next big thing.” That moment of approval lingered with him, particularly since it happened at a time when he was only starting out in the industry.
In 1995, Sudhanshu won the Best Model Award, and this marked the milestone of his moving from modeling into acting and music. He has, over the years, not only acted in films but also in music bands and reality shows, demonstrating his versatility in all entertainment genres. Looking back at his journey, he attributed all the support and opportunities that had fallen his way and recognized that seconds like Aishwarya’s compliment were critical to the development of his self-confidence and career path.
