Aanjjan Srivastav

Born: 2 June 1948

Aanjjan Srivastav is a veteran character actor who's been holding down Bollywood and Indian cinema since the mid-70s, and honestly, he's one of those talents who deserves way more credit than he gets. Best known for his work in Mira Nair's indie classics like *Salaam Bombay!* and *Mississippi Masala*, he's also popped up in crowd-pleasing Hindi films like *Gol Maal*, *Khuda Gawah*, and *Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa*. But before all that, Srivastav was already making waves as a serious theatre artist with the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) in Mumbai, where he served as Vice-President—proving he's not just a film guy, but someone deeply committed to the craft across all mediums. What really sets Srivastav apart is his gift for playing the "common man"—the kind of relatable, everyday character that grounds a story and makes you believe it. On the small screen, he became iconic through *Wagle Ki Duniya*, the beloved sitcom where he carried the show as the titular Wagle, and later reprised the role in its modern reboot *Wagle Ki Duniya – Nayi Peedhi Naye Kissey* in 2021, proving he's still got it. With over 40 years of theatre work under his belt—performing in more than 30 plays, many of them jubilee hits—alongside his film and TV presence, Srivastav represents a kind of completeness in Indian acting that's increasingly rare. He's the actor who makes everything feel authentic, whether he's in an art film or a mainstream Bollywood project.