Amitabh Bachchan mesmerised the audience with his acting prowess in the 1999 Hindi family drama, Sooryavansham. The 1999 family drama featured Big B in dual roles. He was seen enacting both the character of 'Bhanu Pratap Singh', a strict father and also that of his youngest son, 'Heera', with whom the former had disagreements due to the latter's lack of education.
In contrast, 'Heera' wins the heart of his ladylove, 'Radha' and together, the two of them overcome multiple obstacles and were able to demonstrate his value. Apart from Amitabh, the film also starred Anupam Kher, Kader Khan, Jayasudha, Mukesh Rishi, and Soundrya, among others. Although the film didn’t do well in cinemas after it was released, over the period of time, it became a cult classic . Aside from the legendary stars, it was also the little boy in the film, who captivated many hearts.
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A little boy played the role of 'Heera Thakur' and his wife, 'Radha’s' son in the film, Sooryavansham. The little boy was named as 'Chhote Thakur Bhanupratap Singh' aka 'Sonu' in the EVV Satyanarayana film. He got immense praise for his performance in the film, and his real-life name is Aanad Vardhan.
Notably, Aanand not only starred in Amitabh Bachchan's Sooryavansham but was also seen in the Telugu version of the same film, Suryavamsam released in 1997. The child artist recently spoke to Bollywood Hungama and threw light on his memories from the same. He was asked how did he come on board for Sooryavansham, despite being unaware of the language Hindi. To this, he mentioned:
"The makers tried a few child artists from the North initially. But they didn’t seem suitable. Meanwhile, Sooryavansham’s shoot had started. Amitabh sir then watched the Telugu version and he insisted that he wanted me on board. That’s how I came into the picture."
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In the same conversation, Aanand walked down the memory lane and revealed how Big B had helped him during the film's shoot on various aspects. The child artist, who is no more a little boy, shared an hilarious incident from the first day of his shoot. Mentioning how he was gasping at Amitabh's height, he laughingly told:
"I had good grasping power. I had memorised all the dialogues. Mr Bachchan helped with subtle aspects since it was a Hindi film. Hence, there was a slight change in the dialogue delivery. He used to observe my shots and correct me, in case I faltered. My first day of shooting was when we shot the elephant scene. I was called at around 7 in the morning. I didn’t know who Amitabh Bachchan was as I didn’t know Hindi and hence, had not seen his films! My family, however, was elated and was jumping with joy. I remember I was amazed to see that he was 6 feet tall (laughs). As years passed, I realised the greatness of working with him and I cherish the experience."
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Sooryavansham is amongst one of those films, which is shown on the television almost regularly. However, one more scene from the movie which also has a separate fanbase is when 'Sonu' serves poisonous kheer to his on-screen grandfather, 'Bhanu Pratap Singh'. Thus, talking about the same, how the ‘zeher waali kheer’ scene is immensely popular amongst the masses, Aanand shared:
"Yes, and there’s also a meme that ‘IPL is over; ab Sooryavansham wapis lagao’ (laughs)! It’s so funny actually. Wherever there is a situation for it, people just comment ‘isko zeher waali kheer khila do’! And they put my picture of feeding the kheer to Amitabh sir. Hence, it is very funny. It's amazing people have memorised the film and still remember that scene so well. To be in their memories for such a long time and that too in a very funny and healthy way feels great. I have the confidence that if I get interested in working in Bollywood, I can simply say ‘I am the baccha that gives zeher waali kheer’. I am sure filmmakers would immediately recognise me (laughs)!"
Coming to Aanand Vardhan's personal life, he is the grandson of famous playback singer, PB Srinivas, who has sang more than 3000 songs in a number of Telugu movies. For the unversed, Aanand earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science and Engineering from CMR College of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana, in 2012.
Reportedly it was Aanand’s grandfather wish to see him as an actor, that he thought of taking acting as a career. He is also a avid social media user and keeps updating his fans with stunning glimpses from his life. One look at his social media handle and it seems he is a travel enthusiast and keeps posting glimpses from his travel diaries.
Aanand Vardhan started out as a young artist and was seen in the roles of 'Bala Hanuman' and 'Valmiki' in the 1994 movie, Ramayanam, when he was four years old. Afterwards, he made his acting debut with the Telugu film, Priyaragalu in 1997 as a child artist, alongside Jagapathi Babu and Soundarya. For the same, he was also awarded the Nandi award for Best Child Actor in 1997.
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Following this, Aanand was part of a number of movies apart from his stint in the Hindi film, Sooryanvansham. He was part of many hit films, including Manasantha Nuvve and Preminchukundam Raa. In addition to Amitabh Bachchan, he has worked with well-known actors like Jagapati Babu, Venkatesh, and Nandamuri Balakrishna. Currently, the actor is a well-known figure in the Telugu film industry.
As per reports, Aanand is currently gearing up to play a lead character in a Telugu film named Nidurinchu Jahapana. Not much details about the film have been disclosed by the makers as of yet. However, during his conversation with Bollywood Hungama, the actor revealed that he would soon make a comeback on the silver screen after almost 12 years. In his words:
"I don’t have any language barrier. For me, cinema is more about the story, performances etc. than the language. Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam are all the same for me. It’ll be a great opportunity if I get a chance to work in Bollywood. Right now, I am doing a Telugu film as a lead, titled Nidurinchu Jahapana. It has a unique story and I have an author-backed role. Hence, I am hoping that I should make some noise!"
We are eager to see Aanand making a comeback on the silver screen. What about you? Let us know!
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