The internet loves a moment, especially when it can turn it into a controversy. A recent viral video did just that, sparking speculation that veteran actor Sudhir Pandey had walked off stage at the trailer launch of Ginny Weds Sunny 2 (GWS 2) Reason? He was allegedly being ignored by the team, according to the narrative on social media. However, when HT City reaches out to him, he says the truth is far from it.
“There was nothing like being disrespected. I was launching the trailer with the team, I wanted to be there. I went to the stage with everyone, and was sitting in the front row before that. Whoever has shot this video may not have noticed that. When the announcement was made, I went up with everyone,” he tells us.
What viewers didn’t know, he explains, was the time pressure he was under that day. “The problem was I was in great urgency, because my shoot for another project is going on. So, I came to attend this trailer launch in the middle of the shoot. In fact, I had told the production house for Ginny… that I will come with a little urgency. The reason you see me walking off is going to the other shoot, I was getting messages.”
For Sudhir, showing up mattered, “I have a fantastic role in GWS 2 and it’s a good film. That’s why I got permission from the other film’s team. I am thankful to them for allowing it.”
If anything, the episode has brought renewed attention to an actor whose career spans decades, with TV shows such as Buniyaad and films such as Toilet-Ek Prem Katha and Tees Maar Khan. Ask him about the secret to his longevity, and he shrugs it off, “There has been no secret. I have been very sincere to my work. I came to this industry in 1976. It has been 50 years.”
And the approach has stayed constant. “Even today in 2026, I keep working with the same passion. I will not say that I did a lot of work, but whatever I did, I did it very honestly. It was registered.” He learnt later about the viral chatter among people, who were angry seeing the viral video, “I didn’t even know what happened, I saw later on social media. The kind of reactions I have received from concerned people…. I suddenly feel that yes, people have noticed my work and I am quite relevant in their memory.”