Excl- Daya on how he bagged Chalu Pandey's role in Taarak

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, one of the most beloved and longest-running sitcoms on Indian television, has been entertaining viewers of all ages for 17 years. Over time, each character from the show has gained a loyal fanbase, and one such fan-favourite is seasoned actor Daya Shankar Pandey. He became widely recognized for his portrayal of Inspector Chalu Pandey, a role that turned out to be a turning point in his career and won him immense love from the audience. In an exclusive conversation with Times of India TV, Daya Shankar shared how he landed the iconic role. He also opened up about his deep connection with the show’s producer, Asit Kumarr Modi, revealing behind-the-scenes details and personal memories that many fans were unaware of.

Recalling the time when he was first offered the show, Daya Shankar Pandey shared, "Before I started playing Inspector Chalu Pandey in TMKOC, I was already connected to the show, but not in a big way. I wasn't really part of the creative team. I was just helping as a friend. Since Asit and I have known each other for a long time, I would share ideas with him. Sometimes he used them, sometimes he didn’t. At the same time, I was working on the show Shanidev in Baroda. Whenever I got free time, I would give some inputs for TMKOC. It was all going smoothly and in good spirit. Then one day, Asit told me about a new character, Inspector Chalu Pandey, and he offered me the role. I wasn’t sure at first. I was focused on Shanidev and didn’t feel like switching. But Asit told me, ‘An actor should not stick to just one kind of role. This will be something fresh for you.’ So I finally agreed."

The Gangajal actor recalled the first day of his shooting, "I still remember our first shoot at Filmistan Studio. We had so much fun filming the scenes, haste khelte pura episode nikal diya humne. When the episode was edited and shown to us, everyone liked it, including Asit. When the episode aired, we got great feedback. That’s when Asit told me that my character would now be a permanent part of the show. Since that day, it’s been almost 11–12 years, and I’m still happily playing Inspector Chalu Pandey. I enjoy it a lot."

For the uninitiated, Inspector Chalu Pandey made his first appearance in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah back in 2010, during a storyline where characters like Jethalal, Sodhi, Iyer, and Nattu Kaka were mistakenly arrested for a car theft case.

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