TMKOC Fame ‘Popatlal’ Shyam Pathak Had An Inspirational Journey – From A Salesman To Pursuing His Love For Acting Against All Odds

Actor Shyam Pathak’s character Popatlal from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is one of the fan-favorites. With an umbrella in his hand and the signature dialogue, “Duniya Hila Dunga”, his character is shown to be a journalist in Toofan Express and a bachelor who is desperate to get married. With 17 years of this show, Shyam has made fans fall in love with his character with his comical and endearing performance. But did you know, his path to pursue acting has not always been easy?

According to Bollywood Shaadi, Shyam Pathak revealed in a talk show, how he had to support his higher education from a very young age due to financial constraints. He worked as a salesman at a clothing store, wherein he was given the prime responsibility of showing the clothes to the customers, being good with his communication skills. However, he used to get embarrassed when girls from his college used to visit the store with their parents.

To fulfill his mother’s dream of becoming a chartered accountant, he enrolled himself in a chartered accountancy course, but his heart lay with acting. On his way to an IT firm wherein he used to do his articleship, Shyam Pathak used to pass the NCPA (National Centre for Performing Arts) and hoped to visit it one day. With Rs 25 for the subscription, he started visiting the centre to hone his acting skills and became friends with renowned theatre actor, Chetan Datar.

He revealed in the interview, “I told him that I didn’t have money and he told me to approach the directors to let me watch it from backstage. That experience would energize me for the entire week as it was something I loved totally.” However, during this quest, Shyam Pathak faced countless judgments wherein people mocked his love for acting and asked him to focus on a stable career instead.

Despite having financial constraints, he enrolled himself in Barry John’s School Of Acting with a scholarship. Shyam Pathak’s hard work paid off when, after a few rounds, he was called to Delhi for a workshop. After the workshop, Pathak was elated to see his name on the list of the selected students.

This was a major game changer for Shyam Pathak as he was roped in to star in shows like Sonpari, Jasuben Jayantilal Joshi ki Joint Family, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi. He was further seen in the Chinese movie Lust, Caution that also starred Anupam Kher. However, his big break came with Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah wherein he was roped in to play the character of Popatlal. Today, he has become a household name which is a testimony to his struggle and hard work.

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