Dilip Joshi says he had no work for over a year before Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Watch video

Dilip Joshi, who plays Jethalal Champaklal Gada in the long-running sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, talked about going through a lull in his career just before being offered the show. In a throwback video that was shared online by a fan club, he said that he had no work for more than a year as the serial he acted in went off the air and the play he worked in completed its run.

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, which premiered in 2008, has been running on Sony SAB for almost 13 years now. The show revolves around the lives of the residents of the Gokuldham Co-operative Housing Society in Mumbai.

In a video shared online, Dilip Joshi talked about how producer Asit Modi gave him a choice between the roles of Jethalal and Champaklal in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. He said that they aimed to bring some ‘positivity’ to the small screen, amid the plethora of scheming saas-bahu content.

On being asked about his struggles, Dilip said that the entertainment industry was an ‘insecure’ profession. “Isme aisa nahi hai ki aapka ek koi jo bhi role hai hit ho gaya toh iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki aage zindagi bhar aapko kaam milta rahega. Jaise Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah mujhe mila, uske pehle 1-1.5 saal tak mere paas koi kaam nahi tha (It is not like if one of roles is a hit, you will keep getting offered work for the rest of your life. Before Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, I did not have any work for 1-1.5 years),” he said.

“Jo serial thi, bandh ho gayi thi. Play ka poora ho gaya tha run. Toh mere paas bilkul kaam nahi tha. Woh jo period tha, kaafi struggle tha. Samajh mein nahi aa raha tha ki ab kya karein, iss umar mein ab kaunsi nayi line pakdein (The serial I was working in went off the air and my play completed its run, so I didn’t have any work at all. That was a period of struggle. I didn’t know what to do next or how to find a new line of work at this age),” he added.

Thankfully, Dilip said, his struggles came to an end when he was offered Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. The sitcom, which will complete 13 years later this month, continues to be one of the most-watched shows even now.