Dayanand Shetty, known for playing the cult character of Inspector Daya in the long-running crime TV show CID, is all set to release his first Hindi film as a producer, Hello Knock Knock Kaun Hai. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actor talked about his upcoming film and also the return of CID on Sony Entertainment Television. This time, it is also streaming on Netflix.
Dayanand Shetty said, “Working on CID is always a pleasure. It’s like aap ghar pe shoot kar rahe ho! There’s a huge comfort level with the team, since we have been working for the last 28 years together.”
A few weeks ago, the timings of CID were changed from 10:00 pm to 7:30 pm. When asked if it would affect the viewership, Dayanand Shetty explained, “Some new shows like India’s Got Talent had to be incorporated. Also, CID is like aloo; kisi mein bhi daalo, woh rang jaata hai! Initially, it used to be aired at 9:30 pm and then it was shifted to the 10:00 pm slot. Now, it’s at 7:30 pm. Also, our major audience is on Netflix. So many people have told us that they don’t watch the show on Sony TV. In fact, many of them don’t even have access to Sony TV in their homes. So, it's Netflix where CID is largely consumed.”
Dayanand Shetty became a household name, thanks to the TV show. When did he first realize that he has become popular? Dayanand smiled and replied, “I joined the show in 1998. It took time for people to realize that I was the same person playing Inspector Daya. This was when the show had not picked up that way. It was in 1999 or 2000 when the show reached a peak and it began to be watched extensively. Consequently, the character of Daya also became popular. So, I can’t tell you as to when it happened exactly. But I can say that since 1999, people have been showering love on my character.”
when you spend the whole day with a girl on beach and then she updates her status 'what a boring day ! pic.twitter.com/XeF028QOkk — ચિ૨ાગ (@chirag_rachchh) April 26, 2019
CID has achieved legendary status in the world of memes. One meme which is widely shared features Dayanand Shetty sitting depressed by the sea while it's raining cats and dogs. How does he react to that meme? The actor laughed and answered, “When we were shooting, we didn’t even realize that this is how it would be received. Ab toh jar jagah log usko meme ki tarah use karne lage. But I guess no complaints. Kisi ke kaam mein aa raha hai. Kya kar sakte hai (laughs)?”
Dayanand’s notable films Hello Knock Knock Kaun Hai is not his first film as an actor. Earlier, he has worked in a few films; one of them, which stands out, is Johnny Gaddaar (2007). It was Neil Nitin Mukesh’s debut vehicle and also starred Dharmendra, Vinay Pathak, Rimi Sen and Zakir Hussain. Dayanand had the shortest screen time but left a deep impact. Despite having universal acclaim, Johnny Gaddaar didn’t work at the box office.
Dayanand Shetty said, “Yes, commercially, it wasn’t a successful film. But whoever saw that film have loved it extensively. Even today, I come across people who tell me that Johnny Gaddaar was a brilliant film and were shocked to know that it didn’t work in cinemas. I guess it was destiny. Otherwise, it was a very brilliant film. Also, it was made by Sriram Raghavan. His films always have strong scripts. He works on them very hard. He doesn’t take the film on floors until he doesn’t get the script right.”
The other films for which Dayanand Shetty got accolades were Singham Returns (2014) and Singham Again (2024). In both films, he played Inspector Daya and just like in CID, he got a chance to break down doors in his trademark style. This writer was stunned to see viewers hooting and whistling not just on ‘Daya, darwaza khol’ dialogue but also during his entry and fight scene in Singham Again’s show in Mumbai’s Gaiety-Galaxy.
Did he ever visit cinemas to check the reaction for Singham Again? Dayanand Shetty replied, “I couldn’t go for Singham Again. But during Singham Returns, I visited the cinema halls. It was quite surreal for me and the people around me. After all, it was such a big film and had such a big star cast. And yet, when ‘Daya, darwaza tod’ dialogue appears, people started whistling and clapping. I take it as a blessing!”
Reports on the internet claim that he was approached for Sunny Deol’s Jaat (2025). Dayanand clarified, “It’s not true. I wonder where it came from. I, myself, was quite surprised. Mera uss film se duur duur tak koi lena dena nahin tha!”
Future plans When asked what his upcoming projects are, Dayanand Shetty stated, “I have some scripts. We’ll take a call on it. Right now, we have time constraints as CID consumes most of our time. Every month, we shoot 25-26 days for the show. So, we don’t get much time. After December, I’ll decide what to do next. Aditya Srivastava and I also had a show on YouTube called Safarkhana. We want to revive it and we’ll do it once we get time.”
Now that he has turned producer, would he like to be a director? He said, “There are no plans as of now. Aage ka pata nahin; jaise oopar waale ki marzi (smiles).”
Lastly, Dayanand Shetty opened up about Kantara when asked about it, especially since he belongs to the same region. He said, “I have seen the first part and haven’t had the chance to see the new film. The first part was brilliant. I am from Mangalore and here, everybody knows about Daiva, Panjurli, Bhoota and Guliga. It’s a common sight, and people come from all over for the festival. But for the rest of the people, it was a spectacle. So, it’s wonderful to see our traditions getting recognition outside our home state.”
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