Pancholi was born toAditya Pancholi andZarina Wahab inBhopal. His parents are also Bollywood actors.[3] He has a sister, Sana Pancholi,[4] and his grandfather, Rajan Pancholi, was a filmmaker.
Sooraj was an assistant director on films such asGuzaarish andEk Tha Tiger.[5] In 2015, he made his acting debut in the romantic action filmHero, which earned him aFilmfare Award for Best Newcomer in 2016.[2] He then acted inSatellite Shankar, which was released on 8 November 2019.[6] He has also been cast in the upcoming Indian dance film,Time to Dance.[7] He has also appeared in the music videosGF BF (2016) andDim Dim Lights (2019).
Pancholi was arrested after actressJiah Khan, whom he was dating, died in 2013. He was jailed for 22 days before being granted bail. A note later produced by Khan's family blamed the couple's strained relationship as a reason for her possible suicide.[8][9] In 2018, Pancholi was formally charged with abetting the suicide;[10][11] however, he denied involvement in the death, describing himself as a scapegoat for her decision to end her life.[12] Jiah's family believed Pancholi was responsible for their daughter's death.[13]
In April 2023, a CBI Special Court acquitted Pancholi due to a lack of evidence after ten years of court battles.After the verdict was announced on April 28, Sooraj took to his Instagram Stories and wrote, "The truth always wins," and added the hashtag "God is great."[14] In response to the court's judgement, Khan's mother told the media that she would move to a high court.[15]
Tabloids in 2016 linked Pancholi with Pakistani actressMawra Hocane, but he denied any relationship with her.[16] Since 2016, he has been dating Brazilian modelLarissa Bonesi.[17][18]
