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Nostalgia with Sudhanshu Pandey: “I got married and moved to Mumbai when I was 22”
The actor talks about accidentally becoming a part of a boy band, wanting to become a star and being a top name in the modelling industry at 22
Was being 22 a momentous year for you?
It was a very important age for me. I was 22 when I got married, and I was 22 when I shifted to Mumbai (I was born in Uttar Pradesh). I was one of the top names in the modelling industry and I was happy my career was doing decently well.
Your bank balance?
It wasn’t too much as most of my savings were spent in renting a flat in Mumbai.
Your focus in life then?
This was before I had my kids so, I was focussed on taking care of my wife and career. I also became part of a band by chance. My friends said I could sing well. I was asked to sing before Hariharan and Leslie Lewis; they loved my voice. That’s how I became part of a boy band.
Your singing idols at 22?
Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar. Internationally, it was Michael Bolton.
Were you close to your family?
My father Harishchandra Pandey, mother Mohini Panday and brother Piyush have always formed a close-knit family. They live in Jaipur but we stay in touch via video calls.
Your fashion sense then?
My fashion sense has never been about trends but about selecting clothes I can carry off well, that enhance my personality.
Your most prized possession at the time?
My apartment, because it was the first time I had rented a place of my own and that too in the city of dreams—Mumbai.
What was your biggest dream at 22?
To become a star and make my parents proud.
If you could change one thing about yourself then, what would you change?
Nothing. I have been blessed with both my ups and my downs because they have been instrumental in making me what I am today.
From HT Brunch, May 28, 2022
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