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Daya Shankar Pandey Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth19 November 1965

Age59 Years (as of 2024)

BirthplaceMumbai

ProfessionActor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

FamilyWife (name not known); daughter married in 2021; parents Vishwanath Nath Pandey and Vidyawati

Daya Shankar Pandey Biography

Daya Shankar Pandey is an Indian film, television and theatre actor from Mumbai. Born in 1965, he built a long career playing supporting and character rôes

Early life and background

Daya Shankar Pandey was born on 19 November 1965 in Mumbai into an Awadhi-speaking family whose roots trace back to Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh. He grew up in the Dahisar area of Mumbai, where his family once owned and managed a stable. Pandey attended a convent school in Borivali and later studied at Shri Chinai College of Commerce & Economics in Mumbai.

His interest in performance began in adolescence. By the time he reached Class 9 and 10, he was regularly watching films on weekends and practising impressions of screen icons. Theatre and stage work became central to his education in acting during college, where he appeared in plays across several languages and began to collect awards and recognition for his stage work.

Career

After finishing his studies in 1989, Pandey moved deeper into theatre, working under established directors such as Mahendra Joshi and Satyadev Dubey. He started on backstage duties and small practical assignments before securing more substantial parts. Early commercial-theatre experiences included both leading and character roles, and he participated in a range of productions including Mojila Manilal, Khelaiya and Ekshuff. Those formative years also included assisting director Gyan Sahay, whom he worked with on television and who provided him with his first on-camera opportunity.

Pandey’s screen debut came in 1991 on Doordarshan in the serial Lene Ke Dene, in which he played a postman. He made his film debut in the early 1990s, appearing in Pehla Nasha (1993) and Papeeha (1993). Over the next decades he became a familiar face in Hindi cinema, taking many supporting and character roles. His film credits include notable mainstream titles such as Lagaan (2001), Gangaajal (2003), Swades (2004), Raajneeti (2010), and Ghulam (1998). He also appeared in The Gambler (1995) and had work in regional cinema, with roles in Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Nepali films including Satya (2017), Reva: A Journey Within (2018) and Kadke Kamal Ke (2018).

On television, Pandey has a long list of appearances in serials and shows dating back to the 1990s. He featured in Doordarshan and satellite-television productions and took on multiple episodic parts across genres—drama, horror and comedy. He gained wider recognition for recurring and memorable character parts, including the role of Inspector Chalu Pandey in the popular series Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. He also portrayed Shani Dev in the series Mahima Shanidev Ki (2008) on Imagine TV.

Pandey embraced the changes in the industry and moved into the web space as well. He appeared in the web series Rangbaaz (2018) in the role of Mahavir, adding digital streaming credits to his long career.

Public profile

Pandey is known for his versatility on stage and screen and for a steady body of supporting work across Hindi and regional cinema and television. His stage background and multilingual theatrical experience informed his ability to perform in diverse roles. He has been recognized with awards for performances in regional cinema, including a Gujarati Iconic Film Fare Award in 2018 for a negative-role performance.

Personal life

Daya Shankar Pandey is married and lives out of Mumbai, which is also reported as his hometown and birthplace. His parents are Vishwanath Nath Pandey and Vidyawati. During his early career struggles his wife supported the family and took on responsibilities for his parents in their village. He had a daughter who was married in 2021.

Latest updates

In recent years Pandey expanded into regional-language films and the digital space, with recorded appearances in Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Nepali films in 2017–2018 and a part in the 2018 web series Rangbaaz. He also received a Gujarati film award in 2018 for a negative-role performance.
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Recent Work

Satya

Bhojpuri film (role: Tabrez Ansari)

2017
Reva: A Journey Within

Gujarati film (role: Gandu Fakir)

2018
Kadke Kamal Ke

Nepali film

2018
Rangbaaz

Web series (role: Mahavir)

2018
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Career Highlights

  1. Debuted on television in Lene Ke Dene (1991)
  2. Featured in mainstream films including Lagaan (2001), Gangaajal (2003), Swades (2004) and Raajneeti (2010)
  3. Played Inspector Chalu Pandey in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
  4. Portrayed Shani Dev in Mahima Shanidev Ki (2008)
  5. Won Gujarati Iconic Film Fare Award (2018) for Actor in a Negative Role (Male)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Daya Shankar Pandey born?

19 November 1965

What is Daya Shankar Pandey known for?

Actor

What is Daya Shankar Pandey’s marital status?

Married