Shailesh Lodha

Shailesh Lodha (born 8 November 1969) is an Indian poet, actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for portraying Taarak Mehta in the Hindi sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.

Personal life
Lodha was born in Jodhpur in a Marwari family. Lodha is married to a management author, Swati Lodha, and has a daughter Swara. Since his father was transferred to different places, Lodha travelled a lot. His mother loved reading and had a good vocabulary in Hindi. At the age of nine, Lodha was nicknamed "Baal Kavi". He had an office job, but he left it to follow his passion, i.e. writing poems. In a 2015 interview Lodha said, "I am half Jain".

Lodha has completed B.Sc. and PG in marketing.

Career
Lodha first appeared on Comedy Circus as a contestant, and later in Comedy ka Mahamukabla. He portrayed Taarak Mehta in the sitcom series Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah from 2008 to 2022.

Lodha was the main presenter in the TV program Wah! Wah! Kya Baat Hai! telecasted on SAB TV during 2012-13. In 2019, he appeared in the comedy film Wig Boss along with Sunil Pal and Rakhi Sawant.

In 2022, Lodha filed a lawsuit against producer Asit Kumarr Modi for his pending dues and on his production company Neela Tele Films. On 5 August 2023, the verdict came in Lodha's favour.

Author
Lodha has written four books: the first two are satirical humour; the third is a self-help book co-written with his wife; and his most recent book, Diljale Ka Facebook Status, is a collection of poems written from the point of view of a jilted lover.

Awards

 * National Srijan Award
 * Bharat Gaurav
 * Rajasthan Gaurav

TV awards

 * 2014 – Zee Gold Awards (Best Anchor)
 * 2018 – Zee Gold Awards (Best Actor in Comic Role) [Male]