Sudhanshu Pandey feels Anupama OTT show will reveal why Vanraj is the way he is | Exclusive

Sudhanshu Pandey spoke about what viewers should expect from Anupama: Namaste America in an exclusive chat with IndiaToday.in. The OTT series premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on April 25.

The popular daily soap Anupamaa just got a prequel, Anupama: Namaste America, but this time on OTT. The new show premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on April 25. The series mostly has the same cast as the Star Plus show with a few new faces. Sudhanshu Pandey will be playing the same character in the OTT series, but he will be a milder version of Vanraj. In an exclusive chat with IndiaToday.in, Sudhanshu Pandey spoke about what to expect from Anupama: Namaste America and how this Vanraj will be different from the previous one.

Speaking about Anupama: Namaste America, Sudhanshu Pandey said, "Viewers have been watching Anupamaa for almost two years now and what they have seen is Vanraj and Anpama's (Rupali Ganguly) story when they have grown up kids. They have been seeing the drama of the entire Shah family. But, now what they are going to see in the series is the complete opposite of that. What they are going to see is how Vanraj and Anupama were 17 years ago. There was love between them. There were two kids by that time. And, obviously, Vanraj was much happier at that time."

Sudhanshu revealed a little about the storyline of Anupama: Namaste America and said that the OTT series will throw light on why Vanraj became what he is today. "The one thing that is going to be there in the story is Vanraj's college love story, which was one of the biggest catalysts that turned him into the Vanraj of today. To a great extent, they (viewers) will understand why Vanraj became Vanraj. Even after that, he was a very happy man in his marriage with Anupama and two kids. Wanting to do things for his family, all of that. All that people are going to see to a point where things start getting a bit tense. That's where the season will finish and in the next season you will see a lot more drama unfold," added Sudhanshu.

Anupama: Namaste America's 11 episodes will be out on April 25. And later, the makers will bring new seasons of the show. "Right now 11 episodes will come, which will be like a breath of fresh air. It will be a nice happy family. A typical middle-class joint family where everybody is happy together," he said.

Here's the promo of Anupama: Namaste America:

Anupamaa's prequel will have the same flavour as the original since that is what draws viewers to the show. Speaking about the same, Sudhanshu quipped, "Even though we are shooting for an OTT show, the flavour remains the same. It has to remain the same because that is what everyone has caught on to. Across the globe, people have enjoyed the typical middle-class values, celebrations and all the festivities and how family bonds during those festivals and all that drama. The show's essence will be maintained because that is what people relate to."

In Anupama: Namaste America, veteran actress Sarita Joshi will be seen as Moti Baa, who was Anupama's biggest support. Meanwhile, Puja Banerjee will be seen as Vanraj's ex-girlfriend. "There have been a few new characters that have been introduced in this. And those characters will bring their freshness, especially Sarita (Joshi) ji, who is a Padma Shree award winner and such a legendary actress in theatre and films. It's an honour to have her on the show and work with her. Then there is Puja Banerjee who plays a pivotal character in the show. Just 11 episodes, so people will watch and feel satisfied that they saw something. Within 11 episodes they'll get to know what this whole thing is about and they will probably be able to figure out what the Shah family was from the beginning and why they have become what they have become now.