Anuj Sachdeva

Anuj Sachdeva (born October 5, 1984) is an Indian actor who has done films such as the critically acclaimed Hawaa Hawaai; a romantic comedy, Love Shagun and two super hit Punjabi films; Haani and Police in Pollywood. His most popular ads are Nivea, Raymonds, Samsung, MRF, Gillette, Fiama Di Wills and many more. Sachdeva has been part of the long-running soap Sabki Laadli Bebo, romance dramas Chhanchhan and Itti Si Khushi. Recently, he was seen in a character-driven role in Colors popular show Swaragini - Jodein Rishton Ke Sur.

Personal life

Anuj Sachdeva was born in Delhi.^[1] Before his acting career took off, Sachdeva was working with his father in his business of manufacturing shoes.^[2] He is a qualified shoe designer as well. He began his modeling and acting career on his father's insistence.^[1]

Sachdeva is trained in martial arts for nine years and has a brown belt in Taekwondo.

Sachdeva, who idolises Shah Rukh Khan and Kamal Haasan has also done a course in method acting from Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.^[3]

He has learnt the Hip hop style of dance. He has a keen ear for music and plays the Bongo drum.

He loves animals and is actively involved in the welfare of stray animals.

Career

Sachdeva is among those actors who found their way to the entertainment industry through a reality show platform. He appeared on Season 3 of the reality show MTV Roadies and was a huge hit with the female audience. Raghu Ram during the Delhi auditions also described him as a "chick magnet". After enjoying a huge fan following during the Roadies days, he formally began his acting career with a cameo in a 2007 Hindi film Delhii Heights.^[1]

Sachdeva's good looks were always the talk of the town and his friends made sure that he did not waste an opportunity to capitalise on them. While shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai for modelling assignment, he enrolled himself for the Grasim Mr. India pageant. He was one of the favourite contenders at Grasim Mr. India which had the likes of Viraf Patel, Karan Hukku and Kushal Tandon. Sachdeva was bestowed with trophies of Mr. Photogenic and Best Talent - he broke an ice slab with his elbow. His modelling career took off from here on and he appeared in many commercials and has worked alongside Bollywood actors Anushka Sharma,^[2] Deepika Padukone, Esha Gupta, Saiyami Kher and Sunny Leone.

Sachdeva debuted on television with a fine performance in Star Plus' Sabki Laadli Bebo.^[1] The show ran for two years and Sachdeva went on to become television's heartthrob. After the show ended, Sachdeva became selective about his roles. He was clear about doing characters that were content-driven. He later appeared in Zee TV's Phir Subah Hogi where he played the role of Thakur Aditya Singh, the male protagonist with a feisty attitude.^[4] Sachdeva quit the show later that year expressing dislike for the script. He then moved to New York for a few months to pursue a course in Method Acting at Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. After returning from New York, Sachdeva joined Sony TV's Chhanchhan on 6 June 2013 as a replacement for Farhan Khan who had received negative feedback for his portrayal of Manav. Sachdeva upped the glamour quotient and sex appeal on the show and his pairing with Sanaya Irani was much appreciated. Sachdeva was signed on by Rajan Shahi as the male protagonist of his show Itti Si Khushi on Sony TV. He was recently seen as Sahil Sengupta in Rashmi Sharma Telefilms Limited Swaragini - Jodein Rishton Ke Sur on Colors TV. This was the first time that Sachdeva portrayed a negative role in his career, but his portrayal of this obsessive character was appreciated by his fans and audiences.

Sachdeva's greatest strength as an actor has been to get into the skin of the character. He enjoys method acting and applies it to his profession wherever possible. His most intense role has been in Amole Gupte's Hawaa Hawaai, where he played the elder brother of Saqib Saleem. After a particular scene in the film, where Sachdeva had to emote with his eyes more than words, Gupte gave him a hug and praised him for being a natural actor. Sachdeva was also appreciated for his nerdy role in Love Shagun. He went against his flamboyant, classy image to play the role of a guy who would be seen in baggy pants, checkered shirts and big-framed spectacles. Sachdeva loves challenges as an actor and he has made sure that every project he has chosen has been different from his previous one. Sachdeva enjoys a huge fan following in the Punjab belt and hence his films there have been extremely successful.

Sachdeva has the rare distinction of appearing on an episode of Amitabh Bachchan-hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati alongside his Itti Si Khushi co-star Smriti Kalra.

Sachdeva has also been a successful model in Dubai, UAE and has endorsed brands such as, Emirates NBD, Emirates (airline) and Dubai Shopping Festival.

Sachdeva has been a part of several music videos, encompassing Tu Chand Mera with Sonu Kakkar and Tony Kakkar. He was much appreciated for his intense lover boy image in this video. Moreover, he recently appeared in Jaane Kya Ho Gaya sung by Desh Deepak, Jiya Bekaraar by the evergreen Shreya Ghoshal and Aaj Mile Hai by Yasser Desai. All his music videos have crossed over a million views on YouTube.

References