Dayanand Shetty: News

‘Daya, darwaza tod do’ - this phrase was uttered for the first time in 1998 by ACP Pradyuman. The person to whom he was speaking was Senior Inspector Daya. The show was ‘CID.’ The phrase caught on like wildfire and soon attracted cult status. The actor who played Senior Inspector Daya was none other than Dayanand Shetty. Born on December 11, 1969, in Karnataka, India, Shetty was born into a Tulu-speaking family in Udupi. He was a theater enthusiast from an early age. It was, however, a leg injury that made him seriously consider acting instead of track and field. In 1996, he was a discus throw champion from Maharashtra, but in 1998, he was one of the leads of ‘CID.’ Tough on the outside and soft on the inside, Senior Inspector Daya soon became a fan favorite. In 2007, he made his feature film debut in ‘Johnny Gaddaar.’ He also appeared in the celebrity dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (season 4). Shetty has been a guest in shows such as ‘Deal Ya No Deal,’ ‘Kahani Comedy Circus Ki,’ etc. He won the Boroplus Gold Award for Best Supporting Actor (Critics) in 2012. In 2018, he was inducted into the Gold Awards Hall of Fame.