Meet the 'Swiggy Uncle'
A mechanical engineer from Delhi who has been acting in theatre, TV serials and movies for 30 years, Naresh Gosain has finally tasted fame—and got a new name too
Image: Amit VermaIt was 1988. Shah Rukh Khan had bagged his first-ever TV project, directed by the legendary Lekh Tandon. Dil Dariya, which became a hit on Doordarshan three decades ago, was delayed, and Khan went on to appear first in a TV show called Fauji; however, when it did air, it showed a glimpse of Bollywood’s future superstar’s acting prowess. The next year, Khan played protagonist in Doosra Kewal, by the same director, which also faced delays.
Apart from having the same actor, director, and the same fate—both shows were popular, got wide critical acclaim, and got Khan applauded for his stellar acting—there was another thing in common: Naresh Gosain. A mechanical engineer from Delhi, Gosain also made his professional acting debut by bagging piffling roles in Doosra Keval and Dil Dariya. As expected, Gosain, then 28, remained out of the frame. The directors didn’t have any opinion about his acting, producers had no clue about the aspiring actor, and the audience barely noticed him in the two serials where he made fleeting appearances.
Cut to 2008. The Dibakar Banerjee-directed film, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! hit screens. The Abhay Deol and Paresh Rawal-starrer won hearts as well as positive critic reviews. What, however, went unnoticed was a ‘man with transistor’—the role played by Gosain. Over the next few years, the theatre artist, who started acting in a Ramlila—a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Lord Rama—along with his father in 1972, went on to grab many inconsequential roles. He played Inspector Bhagwat in Subhash Ghai’s Kaanchi; ‘Drunk guy on highway’ in another blockbuster, NH10; ‘groom’s uncle’ in the web series Mirzapur. Lady luck was yet to smile on the man who has been struggling for his moment of fame.
Fast forward to 2018. After three decades of acting in theatre, on television and in movies, Gosain bagged a role in a 15-second TV commercial. There was no dialogue for him, and no hefty star cast. He just had to flash a smile, holding a gulab jamun. But what mattered most was not his grin—Lady Luck, finally, did smile on him.
Swiggy Uncle—that’s how Gosain began to be known after the success of the commercial by food aggregator Swiggy—became the talk of the town. This year, Swiggy brought back Gosain in another ad, this time, with a ladoo.
“What 15 seconds of the Swiggy ad did for me is something that even 30 years of acting couldn’t,” says Gosain, flashing that now-famous smile.
