Rajpal YadavChhota Pandit’s portrayal of Akshay Kumar and PriyadarshanThe cult comedy-horror film ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ remains one of the most iconic comic performances in Hindi cinema. From his quirky expressions to his unforgettable agarbatti look, the character has remained etched in the minds of audiences even years after the film’s release.Now, in an interview with Bollywood Bubble, the actor revealed how the famous look came about on set and why he approached the character with sensitivity and respect for religious sentiments.
Rajpal Yadav explains the thinking behind Chhota Pandit
Talking about the inspiration behind the role, Rajpal Yadav related Chhota Pandit to the concept of ‘vidushak’ from Bharat Muni’s ‘Natyashastra’.Explaining the idea, he said, “Chhota Pandit joh tha, woh pehli baat maaniye Bharat Muni ke Natyashastra mein alag-alag bahut saare characters ki kalpana ki gayi hai. Usme ek vidushak hota hai” (The first thing is that in Bharat Muni’s ‘Natyashastra’ various types of characters have been depicted. One of them is ‘vidushak’ or clown).He explained, “Vidushak yeh hota hai ki woh apni darbaar mein mazaak banwata hai aur logo ko hasaata hai” (Vidushak is someone who creates humor in the royal court and makes people laugh).Rajpal Yadav also revealed that he was very cautious while portraying the role because of its association with religious imagery. He shared, “Main really dharm ko poojta hoon. Toh yeh character mere liye andar hi andar bahut challenging tha ki agar zara sa bhi maine idhar-udhar kiya, toh hamare dharm ka mazaak na udd jaaye” (I really respect religion. So I wanted this character to be very funny from inside because it was very funny for us. faith). The actress also recalled how incense sticks always had spiritual significance growing up in her home.
The iconic look came from a mosquito repellent stick
One of the most surprising revelations in the interview was that Chhota Pandit’s legendary agarbatti look originated from the mosquito repellent sticks used during the shoot. Recalling the moment, Rajpal said, “Arrey woh really machhar bhagaane wali lambi agarbatti thi, joh shooting mein hoti thi” (They were long mosquito repellent incense sticks used on film sets).He also added: “Hum log usko tod lete the aur laga lete the” (We used to break these and put them around the look). According to the actor, the ash falling from the sticks inadvertently added a fun visual element to the character.
Rajpal Yadav pitched the idea to Priyadarshan
Rajpal also revealed that the original plan for the look was very different. Initially, Priyadarshan wanted to decorate the character with flowers because of the temple setting in the film. However, Rajpal felt that the character needed a more eccentric and spontaneous look rather than being forced to appear genuinely funny.Sharing how he convinced Priyadarshan, he said, “Maine kaha, ‘Dada, yeh lambi wali you are everything'” (I said, “Dada, please give me that long incense stick”). The actor then explained that Chhota Pandit’s humor worked because the character behaved stupidly without trying to be funny on purpose.
Priyadarshan immediately accepted the look
After experimenting with the Agarbatti style, Rajpal headed to Priyadarshan to showcase the latest look. Recalling the filmmaker’s reaction, the actor said, “Unhone dekha toh hans pade aur bole, ‘Wah! Aaya isko'” (The moment he saw it, he burst out laughing and said, “Wow! Now the character has matured”). Rajpal added that from that moment, the iconic personality of Chhota Pandit was born.Concluding with an emotional interview, Rajpal Yadav explained why the character connected with audiences across generations. He said, “Yeh kisi ka mazaak udaane ke liye nahi tha, sabko gudgudane ke liye tha” (It was never meant to make fun of anyone. It was only meant to entertain gently and make people smile).The actor also shared that saints, elders and family audiences appreciated the character as it carried innocence and purity instead of disrespect. Even today, Chhota Pandit remains one of Hindi cinema’s most beloved comic characters, proving that spontaneous creativity can often create unforgettable cinematic moments.
