Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’s Tanuj Mahashabde aka Mr. Iyer recalls selling firecrackers during young days and calls himself ‘Popatlal’ for being single – Lesser-Known Facts

Tanuj Mahashabde is best recognized for his role as Mr. Iyer in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. He portrays Krishnan Subramaniam Iyer, a scientist from Chennai, who is also Babita’s (Munmun Dutta) husband and the treasurer of Gokuldham Society. He has been an integral part of the show since its beginning. Here are some lesser-known facts about the actor. (Photo: Instagram)

In a recent interview with Times of India TV, Tanuj humorously referred to himself as the "real-life Popatlal." Popatlal, a character from the sitcom, is known for his relentless quest to find a life partner but has yet to succeed in getting married. He said, "Haan screen par sundar biwi hai but personal life mein main ab tak kunwara hoon. Main real-life ka Popatlal hoon. (Laughs). Main Abhi tak unmarried hoon but now that I’m speaking to the Times of India hopefully something positive will happen." (Photo: Instagram)

The actor is in his 40s. When asked if his busy work schedule leaves him with no time for a personal life, he responded, "Maybe... I don't know the reason." (Photo: Instagram)

Tanuj further in the interview revealed how Dilip Joshi helped him play the role of a South Indian. In the interview, the actor spoke about his working experience with Dilip Joshi, he shared, "When the show started it was very challenging for me to portray a South Indian character. I used to say lines very fast initially but at one point Dilip bhai helped me a lot in sketching the role. Asit bhai also helped a lot. Itni Madad ki ke main uss role mein ghusna shuru kar diya. Now, my entire way of talking and my body language has become that of a South Indian person." (Photo: Instagram)

The actor even credited other co-stars and revealed how they work as a family, "All this can happen only when you have senior supporting actors working with you. Be it Mandar, Shyam bhai, Amit Bhatt and Balwinder bhai he is also a senior actor even he gives me some amazing inputs. All this helps in making our scenes better. First we all laugh together and then after watching us on screen, the audience also enjoys it." (Photo: Instagram)

In one of the old interviews he shared what made him fit for the role. When asked about what made him suitable for the role, Tanuj revealed that the only resemblance he had to Mr. Iyer’s character was his skin color—nothing else aligned with the character’s traits. (Photo: Instagram)

In a past interview with Zoom TV, Tanuj shared his thoughts on beauty (khoobsurti), stating that true beauty lies not in a person’s appearance but in their behavior. He expressed his desire for a partner whose behavior is kind and whose heart aligns with his own. (Photo: Instagram)

Tanuj Mahashabde shared that Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah cast has grown into one big family. He said, "The show is going on for the last 16 years and it is only because of the love of the viewers. As I mentioned that all the festivals throughout the year we celebrate on the sets first with our reel family. Most of our time we spend on the sets. We give daily 12 to 14 hours to the show. Jab sets par aate hain toh lagta hai ghar par aur jab ghar par jaate hain toh lagta hai kaam par aagaye. Our families keep us happy and give us live entertainment and once we leave home to come to the sets, they watch us on their television screens. Dono manage hojaata hai..," he shared. (Photo: Instagram)

Tanuj has spent over 15 years in theatre and has also co-written several scripts. Before joining Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, he appeared in small roles in shows like CID and Aahat. He has also been part of films like Ferrari Ki Sawaari. At one point, he took a break from acting due to family reasons and worked as an acting teacher in his hometown, Indore. (Photo: Instagram)

While talking to Times of India TV, Tanuj once shared how he sold fire crackers for pocket money during young days. "I am sharing something personal about Diwali celebrations for the first time. When I was class 9th-10th I used to put up a shop of crackers. I used to sell crackers for pocket money during my young days. That time I used to feel should I just take all these crackers and burst them myself instead of selling them (laughs)." (Photo: Instagram)