Mandar Chandwadkar on TMKOC’s 4,800+ episodes, missing saas
The TMKOC actor reflects on 18 years of Bhide, the one trait he shares with the character, and why Gokuldham Society never needed a saas.
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has crossed 18 years and more than 4,800 episodes, and Mandar Chandwadkar has been there from the start. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, the actor who plays Aatmaram Tukaram Bhide looked back at the sitcom’s Guinness World Record run and revealed the one trait he actually shares with his screen character.
From a struggler’s daily soap to a national habit
Chandwadkar remembers the show’s early days as a moment when a daily soap meant a fixed income. He was referred for the 2008 audition by Sonalika Joshi, who plays Madhavi, and flew in from Indore for an urgent meeting with producer Asit Kumar Modi and the early director Dharmesh Mehta. At the time, most popular serials were built around women-led stories, so male characters had little room to perform. TMKOC, adapted from Taarak Mehta’s Duniya Ne Undha Chashma, gave every character space to be funny.
He sees the format as a mirror of India’s unity in diversity. The characters have lasted because they feel like people from real housing societies:
- A Jethalal in every society: easygoing, late with maintenance, and always found by problems.
- A Bhide who swears by his principles and dislikes unnecessary spending.
- A Popatlal who has spent years waiting to get married.
The one similarity, and the missing saas
Chandwadkar says there is only one similarity between him and Bhide. “I am very disciplined in real life, just like Bhide.” The famous money caution, however, is not his habit; he laughs at the comparison.
He also points out that Gokuldham Society has no on-screen mother-in-law. There was never a discussion about it. Indian television has been so full of saas-bahu storylines that viewers do not miss the absence. The show still mentions Jethalal’s never-seen mother-in-law, who keeps giving him funny nicknames.
Creative freedom and a 12-hour day
The actor credits Modi and the writers for an unusual level of creative freedom. Where other serials can face channel interference down to curtains and tea cups, the TMKOC cast can change a line that does not fit the character without permission. He also points to a close bond with Dilip Joshi, who plays Jethalal; they share a room and meals on set. Even after 18 years, Chandwadkar watches episodes on Sony LIV to spot the punch he missed.
He does not chase other acting offers. After a 12-hour shooting day, he says, he feels satisfied as an actor, and that single-show focus is one reason the sitcom has kept its ensemble together.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
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