EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Pancholi Considers Himself An OUTCAST In Bollywood Following His 12-Year-Long Legal Battle; Says, “There’s Nepotism And Then There’s Outsiders, But I Was…”

Sooraj Pancholi is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi-language films. The son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, he debuted with the 2015 romantic action film Hero, for which he won a Filmfare Award for Best Newcomer. He also starred in the 2019 action drama film Satellite Shankar opposite Megha Akash. In his FIRST podcast post getting acquitted in his 12-year-long legal battle with Bollywood Bubble, Sooraj Pancholi admits being considered an outcast after his court case, even though he won it with merit.

Sooraj Pancholi Considers Himself An Outcast

Speaking about his comeback to Bollywood after the legal battle, the actor said, “Maybe if this hadn’t happened, I’d still be living in a bubble. But that bubble doesn’t exist for me anymore. For me, even nepotism doesn’t count. Because there’s a difference—there’s nepotism, and then there’s being an outsider. But I wasn’t just an outsider—I was an outcast. That’s a completely different battle. So I’m not even an outsider. I was an outcast. And from being an outcast to coming back into this field, it takes a lot. If I can be blunt, it takes balls to do what I’m doing. A lot of people would’ve either died or run away. But I stood by—because I wanted to make my family proud, my sister proud, my parents proud. And more than all of that, I wanted to be happy and do what I’m meant to do.”

Sooraj Pancholi REVEALS How He Got Kesari Veer

When asked how he got the film Kesari Veer, Sooraj Pancholi said, “The film found me because I had visited the Somnat temple. My mom told me to visit one of the Jyotir Lingas, and then we decided to go to the Somnath temple. When we reached the temple, there was a huge statue there. If you go to the Somnat temple, which I think everyone should, you’ll see a large statue of a warrior on a horse right outside. I saw that statue while arriving, and then I got out of the car. We walked towards the temple and did our prayers there.”

He continued, “On the way back, I saw the statue again and asked someone about it. He said this is the statue of Hamirji Gohil, who protected the temple several times before anyone could have looted it. I thought, Wow. You know, at that moment, I felt like something like this should be made. You won’t believe it, but within 48 hours of returning to Mumbai, I had my producer at my doorstep with a script. It was about the Somnat temple and about Hamirji Gohil. When he gave me the script, I knew immediately that I had to do it, even without reading the script fully. For me, it was a definite yes from within. I felt it was meant to be that this film would come to me.”

Sooraj Pancholi Opens Up On Kesari Veer

He said, “Many other actors had offered the role, and I think three of my own friends were supposed to do my part. But somehow, it fell into my hands. I feel very blessed, and I believe Mahadev (Lord Shiva) was guiding me. We were just discussing it, and I feel it was a blessing. My life changed after that visit to the Somnath temple. Truly, my life changed after that. So, Kesari Veer is not an action film for me; it’s a very emotional film. If you watch it, and if you get into the emotions, the feelings of the people who were going through that time, you wouldn’t see it as an action film. But that’s when you watch the film, you’ll understand.”

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Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Pancholi Comments On Actors Like Babil Khan, Prateik Smita Patil Feeling Pressure To Live Up To Their Legacy; Reveals Former Removed Viral Breakdown Video As “Someone Told Him To Do It”