Daya
Shankar
Pandey
has
been
in
the
showbiz
industry
since
a
long
time.
He
made
his
debut
in
the
industry
in
1993
film
Pehla
Nasha,
and
was
later
seen
in
popular
Bollywood
films
like
Lagaan,
Swades
and
Rajneeti,
to
name
a
few.
He
has
been
a
part
of
television
shows
across
the
comedy
and
mythology
genre.
His
iconic
show,
Mahima
Shani
Dev
Ki
is
currently
being
aired
on
Dangal
TV.
He
also
plays
the
role
of
an
Inspector
in
Taarak
Mehta
Ka
Ooltah
Chashmah.
In
an
exclusive
interview
with
Filmibeat,
Daya
Shankar
Pandey
spoke
about
the
re-run
and
success
of
his
mythological
show.
He
also
revealed
about
his
upcoming
projects.
Here
are
the
excerpts!
You
have
been
in
the
showbiz
since
a
long
time.
Your
popular
mythological
show,
Mahima
Shani
Dev
Ki
is
being
re-aired
on
Dangal
TV
and
is
one
of
the
top
shows
on
the
TRP
chart.
What
do
you
have
to
say
about
it?
When
Ashutosh
Gowariker
was
doing
Jodha
Akbar,
I
was
given
the
credit
of
acknowledgement
for
the
film
along
with
eminent
actors
like
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Shatrughan
Sinha
to
name
a
few.
I
was
very
much
involved
in
the
pre-production
of
the
film
as
a
friend.
However,
when
the
shoot
for
the
film
began,
I
was
offered
Mahima
Shani
Dev
Ki.
So,
I
preferred
playing
Lord
Shani
over
the
role
being
offered
in
Jodha
Akbar.
Mahima
Shanidev
Ki
came
to
me
as
an
instant
offer.
I
was
working
with
Shahab
Shamsi
sir
on
a
project,
where
he
asked
me
if
I
would
be
interested
in
portraying
a
mythological
character.
I
was
asked
to
audition
for
it
and
within
30
minutes,
I
was
offered
the
lead
role.
Also,
television
gives
more
money
honestly.
Playing
the
central
role
in
a
TV
serial
was
something
that
I
did
not
want
to
miss
at
all.
I
consider
playing
the
role
of
Lord
Shani
as
a
blessing
by
the
Lord
himself.
I
worked
hard
for
the
role
and
now
nearly
a
decade
later,
people
are
still
talking
about
it.
The
show
is
doing
extremely
well
on
Dangal
channel
and
is
consistently
in
the
top
five
shows
every
week.
I
am
glad
that
the
channel
decided
to
re-launch
the
show.
Any
memorable
moments
from
Mahima
Shani
Dev
Ki?
I
played
Shani
for
over
four
years
that
time,
and
yes,
it
has
greatly
impacted
my
point
of
view.
I
strongly
believe
that
the
karma
you
do,
it
will
come
back
to
you.
When
the
show
was
launched,
I
did
not
receive
as
much
publicity
as
I
am
receiving
now
due
to
the
re-run
on
Dangal.
The
hard
work
I
put
in
to
play
the
character
of
Lord
Shani,
is
finally
paying
off.
Talking
about
creating
impact,
I
remember
incidents
where
people
came
up
to
me
and
asked
me
to
help
them
in
their
problems,
since
they
considered
me
to
be
Lord
Shani.
Often
people
would
come
and
tell
me,
"Mera
shani
hata
do
mere
sarr
se."
You
are
currently
seen
in
Taarak
Mehta
Ka
Ooltah
Chashmah.
Who
is
your
favourite
co-star
from
the
show?
My
favourite
co-star
is
Dilip
Joshi
(Jethalal).
Tell
us
about
the
projects
in
the
pipeline?
I
was
working
on
a
film
with
Taapsee
Pannu
and
Vikrant
Massey
just
before
the
lockdown.
Some
parts
of
the
shoot
are
pending.
Then,
there
is
Satyamev
Jayate
2
and
Rangbaaz.
I
am
looking
forward
to
these
roles.
In
addition
to
this,
my
web
series
Raktanchal
was
recently
released.
Coronavirus
lockdown
has
affected
businesses,
and
shootings
have
been
stalled.
Many
industry
members
complained
that
they
haven't
been
paid.
What
do
you
have
to
say
about
this?
Everyone
is
going
through
this
pandemic,
and
the
industry
is
like
a
family
and
everyone
will
help
each
other
to
overcome
this
situation.
What
have
you
been
up
to
during
the
lockdown?
What
is
your
message
to
the
fans
during
this
difficult
period?
I
have
been
reading
books,
watching
a
lot
of
content
and
praying
to
god.
My
message
to
the
fans
dealing
with
this
difficult
phase
is:
We
shall
be
together
and
fight
this
pandemic.
Be
honest
to
your
family
and
to
this
beautiful
world.
Let
us
help
each
other
to
the
best
of
our
capabilities.