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Deven Bhojani also reveals that he quit television and focused on OTT to stay away from comic roles and that he signed Chumbak after staying away from comedy shows for five years.
Deven Bhojani was recently seen in Reporting Live starring Parineeti Chopra. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
Deven Bhojani began his career nearly four decades back. Over the years, he gained immense popularity for his portrayals of endearing, comic characters in TV shows such as Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Baa Bahoo Aur Baby and Office Office, among others. But this image came at a cost, leaving him vulnerable to unsolicited advice rooted in his physical appearance.
Speaking exclusively to News18, Deven says that people around him often assumed that he continues to get picked for such parts only because of his weight. “The most bizarre advice that I’ve received is that aap wazan kam mat karna, warna role milna kam ho jaayega. I was like, ‘Bhai, log iss liye mujhe cast nahi karte kyunki main mota hoon. They cast me because I’m a good actor,'” he states.
For him, their remarks also proved that they completely negated the other roles he did that marked a departure from comedy. “I was really hurt. I conciously try and do varied roles and all they could infer is that I could land those parts just because I’m fat. Imagine the kind of things one has to deal with! But then told them that they’re right just to shut them down,” he tells us.
While Deven wants to shed a few kilograms, he doesn’t want to tie his appearance with work. “The truth is that I’m not being able to lose weight for various reasons – maybe because of my nature or way of life. I do want to do it. But I never think of it this way that the work coming my way will increase or decrease on the basis of how much weight I gain or lose,” he asserts.
Six years ago, Deven quit TV to change the perception that people have of him. He decided to focus on streaming that would help them see his versatility. “I did a lot of comedy roles on TV. But when I left it and went on to focus on OTT, I decided that I don’t want to do comic parts anymore. But most of the offers I would get even on OTT a few years ago were of comic characters,” he shares.
“I turned them down. Sometimes, I passed on some really good roles too. I realised that time is flying by and I’m getting old and I didn’t want to keep the actor inside me hungry any longer. I was filled with frustration that main aur bhi kar sakta hoon aur marne se pehle mujhe alag-alag kisam ke roles karne hai. I’m proud of the comic roles that I’ve done but I wanted to do more,” he adds.
He then went on to prove his versatility with Taaza Khabar, Scoop and the recently released Live Reporting. “Gradually, I started getting other kinds of roles. Platforms, makers and casting directors started taking note of me. They realised that I can pull off non-comic chaarcters too, fairly well. I finally said yes to Chumbak after staying away from comedy shows for five years,” Deven remarks.
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Ask News18Deven Bhojani was advised by people around him not to lose weight because they assumed doing so would decrease his job opportunities and that he was only cast because of his physical size rather than his acting skills.
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Titas Chowdhury is a Special Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringi…Read More
October 13, 2026, 08:00 IST