TMKOC’s Mandar Chandwadkar on Early Hair Loss Anxiety
Actor Mandar Chandwadkar recalled losing hair at 23 and feeling nervous about an acting career before landing the role of Bhide in TMKOC.
Mumbai, July 29 — Actor Mandar Chandwadkar, known for portraying Aatmaram Tukaram Bhide in the long-running sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, has spoken about the anxiety he experienced after beginning to lose his hair at the age of 23 and how the same appearance later became central to his most recognisable role.
Speaking during the show’s 18th-anniversary celebrations on 28 July, Chandwadkar reflected on the early setbacks that preceded his casting. He trained as a mechanical engineer and worked in Dubai between 1997 and 2000. Before leaving India he had appeared in a Marathi serial and believed his acting career was under way, but family responsibilities prompted the move abroad.
Within six months of arriving in Dubai he noticed significant hair loss. “At that time, I was hardly 23 years old. You can imagine the mental condition of someone who wants to enter this field after losing his hair at such a young age. I was very nervous,” he said.
