Long before it became a trending soundbite or award-night rhetoric, actor Sudhanshu Pandey had already planted the seeds of a powerful idea, that Indian television, with its relentless reach and cultural depth, deserves national recognition at the highest level.
This week, actress Rupali Ganguly made headlines by voicing the same sentiment, that Indian television should be included in the National Awards. While her statement gathered applause, industry insiders were quick to point out what insiders have always known, this was Sudhanshu Pandey’s vision, and his alone, back when no one was talking about it.
The thought first struck him during the early, chaotic months of the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when the world came to a halt, daily soap sets were among the few places still brimming with activity, serving content to millions stuck at home. It was in these trenches that Sudhanshu saw the injustice clearly, an entire ecosystem of actors, technicians, writers, and creators was being left out of national conversations around cinematic excellence.
“I clearly remember this being Sudhanshu’s mission, not just a passing idea,” shared an industry insider who has worked closely with him, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He spoke to top producers, roped in JD Majethia, CINTAA, IMPPA, even got news channels interested. What Rupali is saying now, Sudhanshu said and acted on this years ago. It’s his baby, and he definitely deserves credit.”
Sudhanshu’s initiative wasn’t just lip service. He spearheaded meetings, reached out to bureaucrats, and pushed proposals toward the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The effort, unfortunately, lost momentum amidst political reshuffles. But the intent never wavered.
When got in touch with Sudhanshu, he reflected, “The thought came to me when I saw our fraternity working like warriors during COVID, risking health, staying away from families, just to keep people entertained. It broke me to see how little respect this platform still got. I knew then that Indian television needed to be seen, respected, and awarded on a national scale.”
He adds, “This isn’t a vanity cause. This is about dignity for a medium that reaches homes in ways cinema cannot. And if we don’t claim our space now, we are complicit in our own erasure.”
With recent voices echoing the same call, the conversation is yet again getting oxygen. But let the record reflect clearly, the spark that lit this fire belongs to Sudhanshu Pandey. He said it first. He meant it most.
