EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Pancholi’s Parents Played No Part In Him Becoming An AD On Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish? Actor Spills The Beans

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 reveals how he became an AD at 17 years for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzarish starring Hrithik Roshan.

Sooraj Pancholi Reveals Becoming An AD For Sanjay Leela Bhansali At 17

When asked if he always wanted to be an actor because of both his parents, Sooraj Pancholi revealed, “No, no, no—in fact, I was, and still am, a very, very shy person when it comes to expressing myself. Whether it’s about feelings, liking someone, or being attracted to someone, I’m actually extremely shy. So I don’t really talk about these things, not even with my family.”

Continuing, he said, “But when I was around 17 years old, I did something quite unexpected. One day, I just went up to the fourth floor of my building and rang the doorbell of Mr. Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I actually did that. The house help opened the door, and I was just standing there. Then Mr. Bhansali himself came to the door and asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘Sir, I want five minutes with you.’ He asked, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘Sir, I want to work with you.’ He replied, ‘Aren’t you too young?’ I said, ‘No, sir, I want to be an assistant director. I want to work behind the camera.'”

Sooraj Expresses Desire To Work With Hrithik Roshan

Sooraj reveals having a shot conversation, and said, “He asked me, ‘Who’s your favourite actor?’ I said, ‘Sir, Hrithik Roshan.’ He smiled and said, ‘Oh, okay. You’ve done your research.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because my next film is with Hrithik Roshan.’ It was Guzaarish. I got very lucky—I ended up working with my dream director and, hopefully, one day, my dream co-star. Maybe someday I’ll get the chance to act alongside Hrithik Roshan too. That’s how it all started. Of course, deep down, I wanted to be an actor. And I think Sanjay sir sensed that. And that was my first step into this industry.”

Sooraj Pancholi Shares His Experience Of Working With Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Speaking about working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the actor said, “It was tough working with Sanjay sir. But I learned a lot just by being on set. I learned so much by observing Aishwarya ma’am and Hrithik sir. Actually, I used to stand in for Hrithik before he got ready and came on set—I was the stand-in for the camera. And yes, I got a lot of gallis (scoldings) from Sanjay sir, of course—but that’s how I learned. I consider him one of my gurus because he gave me the chance to learn about filmmaking, and for that, I’ll always be very, very grateful.“

Concluding, he said, “If you go wrong, he’ll make sure everyone on set knows you’ve gone wrong. But it’s actually a method of building your confidence. Yes, he’ll put you down in the moment—but the next morning, he’ll give you a slight smile, as if to say, ‘You get it now.’ You learn a lot from that. It’s just his way of teaching—his way of mentoring his students. So, yeah.”

Watch The Full Interview

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Pancholi Believes It’s ‘Much Tougher’ For Film Family Kids To Debut Today; Says, “(Earlier) The Word Nepotism Wasn’t Relevant”