Among many talented actors who played supporting roles in Bollywood for decades, veteran actor Achyut Potdar is up there among the finest. Having spent more than four decades in the film industry, he has entertained the audience through his strong acting prowess.
The actor is most well-known to Generation Z for his role as a college professor in 3 Idiots and is part of the very famous and viral “Kehna Kya Chahte Ho” meme that ruled social media for quite some time. Achuyt Potdar just celebrated his 88th birthday on Monday, August 22. As he turns a year older, let us have a bird’s eye view of his journey and some lesser-known facts about him.
It may come as a surprise to many that despite his impeccable acting skills, Potdar has no formal training in acting, nor was it his first profession. Potdar joined films at the age of 44. You will be amazed to know that he was in the Indian Army. After graduating from college, he accepted a position as a professor at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, and then enlisted in the Indian Army.
Within a year of marriage, Potdar joined the army on the emergency commission. After the Emergency Commission was over, he retired from the Army in 1967, holding the rank of captain. Later, he spent almost 25 years as an executive at Indian Oil before retiring in 1992 at the age of 58. While employed by Indian Oil, Potdar participated in theatrical endeavours and plays and hosted their cultural activities.
This instilled in him a passion for acting and soon he started appearing in movies, making his debut in the 1980 film Aakrosh. He is one of the very few actors who made a transition to films after a career in defence as well as the corporate world. He is a frequent collaborator with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Achyut Potdar has recently entered the daily soap Jivachi Hotiya Kahili on Sony Marathi.
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