Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah recently got a new Nattu Kaka when theatre veteran Kiran Bhatt stepped into the shoes of the character which was earlier essayed by late Ghanashyam Nayak. The actor, who is enjoying being on screen, shares, “To play this iconic character of Nattu Kaka is a very good feeling. I was called for the audition for this role by Asit Modi ji and the makers liked my way of doing it and so that is how I bagged it. Asit ji ne bola you have to do the role and I couldn’t say no to him. I had met Ghanshyam ji several times in the past. I used to tell him how good the show is not realizing that I will be a part of his show one day and would be replacing him. The first day of the shoot was a very emotional moment for me.” Ask him if he is following the body language of the original Nattu Kaka or is he trying to bring his own flavor to the role, Kiran says, “Yeh jo Nattu ka character hai usko live rakhne ke liye I am trying to copy his mannerisms in my own way. People used to like him a lot and so I am sticking to how he used to portray the character.”
Not many know that Kiran had done a popular daily soap in the past. “I did a daily soap a long time back, Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. I played Ketki Dave’s brother then. That was a different show and Tarak... is a different show. Things have changed a lot today. Things are way too professional today and even technically we are very sound. Otherwise, I didn’t do many shows as I have been quite busy on the Gujrati theatre front where I produce, direct, write and even act in the plays. Before lockdown, Gujrati theatre was doing really well and there is money in Gujrati theatre too. The scene was not good during the pandemic and lockdown but things are improving now,” he says.
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