If you’re a millennial, there’s very little chance you’ve missed seeing Gaurav Gera as Nandu in the 90s’ beloved Sony TV sitcom Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi — and later as the Shopkeeper and Chutki on your TikTok and Instagram feeds, back when everyone and their cousin wasn’t making funny reels on the gram, and comedy shows on TV weren’t yet riddled with men in obnoxiously funny avatars making India and the rest of the world laugh. But his biggest claim to fame was still to come — Mohammed Aalam of Dhurandhar. That’s how Gen Z knows him. The trusted employer of Hamza Ali Mazari (Ranveer Singh) and his chai buddy. A role so masterfully played that most people simply couldn’t believe it was the same boy-next-door who once played the nerdy Nandu, or the funnyman who had us in splits every time he popped up on our feeds.
Life After Dhurandhar
So when he came to Dubai for a whirlwind tour, we decided to corner him at Batliwala & Co. – a restaurant in Business Bay that embodies the Mumbai and Bollywood vibe and find out just how different life looks after Dhurandhar. “Not much actually,” was his first impulse — which was surprising, given the franchise has crossed roughly ₹3,100 crore worldwide gross across both parts.
“My get-up in the movie was so distinct that most people don’t recognise me even on the roads.”
Gaurav said this without looking particularly surprised. He’s been living this ironic reality — being an integral part of one of India’s all-time biggest blockbusters, and still walking around largely unrecognised.
The audition story: beard and all
The story of how he landed the part is a good one. When casting director Mukesh Chhabra called him in, he was asked to perform a scene from Part 2. Then came an unusual follow-up.
“After the audition, he asked me to send a picture with a beard. Then he asked me to actually grow the beard and come back to perform the same scene, which I did. And after that, I was offered the role.”
While filming, Gaurav says he could feel that this one was going to be a hit. What he couldn’t have imagined was the scale at which Dhurandhar would capture the popular imagination — in India and far beyond. He also let slip something many fans don’t know: “Originally, it was one film.” Both parts were shot in one go.
Why he stopped making videos and walked away from TV too
For a while, Gaurav also dipped into comedy shows on television, but that chapter didn’t last long either and if you read between the lines, it wasn’t entirely his choice. The offers weren’t exactly pouring in, and the ones that were, clearly weren’t worth his time.
On the Instagram videos though, that one was entirely on him. “Everyone’s doing it now, so I stopped” and for someone who was doing it before it became everyone’s weekend hobby, that was also reason enough to stop or at least do it only when he really feels up to it.
As for money? “I love money, but on my own terms.”
Friends, Dubai, and what’s next
When the conversation turned to friendships in the industry, Gaurav named Kiku Sharda, Vinay Pathak, and Ranvir Shorey as people he’s genuinely close to, along with Mona Singh, who has frequently featured in his videos over the years. He was in Dubai for a short trip with a few gigs lined up, and despite the runaway success of Dhurandhar, a flood of meaningful offers hasn’t quite followed yet. The actor remains a versatile talent for any platform, in any format, anywhere in the world.
So now what?
Gaurav Gera has been in the public eye long enough to know the pulls and pressure of an industry where the supply always outnumbers demand. And yet, he’s been someone who has consistently been a recognised face for quality entertainment. He played a role that will be talked about for years, delivered it with zero fanfare, and is still waiting for the industry to fully catch up with what he’s capable of. He has a web series lined up, he said but as the industry cliche goes, “it’s too early to talk about it.”
