Today’s generation might remember Achyut Potdar from the viral meme from 3 Idiots (2009), which showed his professor character asking Aamir Khan’s Rancho, ‘Kehna kya chahte ho?’ The veteran actor, who passed away on August 18 at the age of 90, however, was much more than that. In his four-decade-plus career that spanned Hindi and Marathi films as well as television, the artiste built a collage of real characters and grounded performances. 

Those who grew up in the late 1980s will remember Potdar from the much-loved show, Wagle Ki Duniya. When mid-day reached out to the show’s lead star Aanjjan Srivastav, he got emotional remembering the late actor. “We lose colleagues one by one, and it is painful. Achyut deserved more. He should have been given many more opportunities. He always brought credibility to his roles. That was his strength — he made small roles memorable.” 

Srivastav fondly remembered their first encounter during the making of Wagle Ki Duniya. Potdar played a trade licence officer and left a lasting impression. “He just said, ‘Come and take your licence’. The simplicity of that delivery elevated the entire sequence,” recalled Srivastav.