Shaktimaan actor faced rejection, bullying; refused to attend his own wedding twice; is a star now

‘I wanted to become a hero’

Often bullied by his college friends, Goswami noticed that the same people treated him with respect when he once interacted with an actor who was shooting outside their college. That experience sparked his interest in acting.

His father was a drama director in their village and would often cast him as Krishna or other Hindu gods, whom the audience would worship before the main play began. The attention Goswami received during these performances further drew him towards acting.

But growing up was not easy. Goswami said he did not even realise he was different from his classmates until he reached sixth grade.

‘Bullying killed my passion for education’

In an interview with The Podcasting Couch, the actor recalled, “Until then you are all of same height, so you don’t realise. My world changed when I went to high school. The bullying started.”

People began treating him differently, sometimes watching him perform ordinary activities such as walking and eating as though he were a curiosity. The bullying became worse when he reached college.

Actors KK Goswami and Ashok Lokhande in Shakalaka Boom Boom. Express archive photo

“They would put me on their shoulders and run. Twist my ear. Ask me weird questions. Often pull pranks on me. Luckily, my principal noticed this and issued a notice to all students warning of strict punishment for misbehaving with me,” he said.

The repeated bullying eventually affected his interest in education, prompting Goswami to leave his studies and explore photography instead.

‘People said begging was my only option’

However, the ridicule was not restricted to educational institutions. He also faced discrimination from people in his neighbourhood in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

“Our neighbours often mocked my height and were mean to my parents. They would say with that height, he will have to beg for a living,” he recalled.

His parents, however, never allowed those comments to affect his confidence.

“My mother had lost two of her kids before giving birth to me. She prayed to God, ‘Give me a child jise nazar na lage,’ and I was born. She often said that one day I will become very famous. My parents strongly believed in me,” he said.

Actors KK Goswami and Swapnil Joshi in TV show Idhar Kamaal Udhar Dhamaal. Express archive photo

Armed with that confidence, Goswami moved to Mumbai in 1992 with the dream of becoming a hero.

“When I told people I have come to make it big as a hero, they would laugh at me. They would bring other people and ask me to repeat it,” he recalled.

He added, “In Bollywood, they have random, ridiculous roles for us.”

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Bappi Lahri paid me Rs 500 – Rs 2000

His first three years in Mumbai were extremely difficult. In 1995, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri offered him his first television show, WOW – Winner of the Week. “I starved for many days. Once my work on that show was over, Bappi Lahiri called me to his bungalow,” he recalled.

Lahiri eventually began taking Goswami along on his tours, where he would earn Rs 500 at some shows and Rs 2,000 at others. “These amounts are equivalent to today’s Rs 25,000-50,000. He called me Mini Bond,” Goswami said.

His big breakthrough came in 2001 when he landed a role in Junior G. He eventually became the show’s main villain. The success was followed by appearances in popular shows including Shaktimaan, Shaka Laka Boom Boom, Son Pari and Ssshhhh… Phir Koi Hai.

Producer Suraj Singh, A guest, Deep Shresth, Siju Katariya, Chhaila Bihari, Vijay Khare, Roshan Khan. Seated are: Neeraj Badshah, Amit Kumar Munna, KK Goswami and Kunika Lal. Express archive photo

However, Goswami often found himself with very few dialogues. Eventually, he decided to speak up for himself.

“On Shaktimaan, I had only one dialogue, ‘Andhera Kaayam Rahe.’ I got fed up. I went to the director and said, ‘Kindly give me dialogues.’ The director said, ‘Mukesh ji, listen to him. What he is saying.’ I said, ‘I can be Mini Shaktimaan if you want.’ They laughed and said: ‘Mukesh Ji yeh apka role kha jayega’. But at least that increased my dialogues on the show,” he recalled.

KK finally became a lead star

His dream of playing a hero finally came true when he landed the second lead in the 2003 television show, Vikraal Aur Gabraal.

While television brought him considerable fame, Goswami said he remains disappointed with the opportunities available to actors with dwarfism in Bollywood.

 

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“In Hollywood, people with my condition are superstars today. They get such meaty roles, many work, but here they don’t offer many options. They don’t create roles for us. Instead of giving jobs to us, they tie legs of people to make them look short when needed. Check what Shah Rukh Khan did. He snatched the role from a person like us. Shah Rukh Khan could have done a different role,” he said.

However, he praised Salman Khan, who offered him multiple roles. “I met him when he was shooting for a film. He asked me what I was doing in Mumbai. I said, ‘I am here to become like you.’ He offered me multiple roles in his films, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in the city every time they reached out to me.”

Despite his success, Goswami said he continued to encounter people who treated him differently because of his height.

“A lot of times when I am just normally walking on the street, parents point at me and show their kids as if I am some cartoon character. They put their kids next to me and take pictures not as an actor but for my height. They even pull my ears. Mock my appearance,” he recalled.

‘Mockery affected his family’

The repeated incidents became so uncomfortable that Goswami began taking longer routes simply to avoid such encounters.

The mockery also affected his family. Goswami said his children faced questions about their father’s height at school.

“Earlier, I would very passionately go to drop my kids to their school. But their friends started to question my kids about my height. After that incident, I stopped going inside their school. A lot of times, I miss their school events to avoid the embarrassment or quietly sit in the back to watch them perform,” he said.

 

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Today, when asked about his hobbies, Goswami says he enjoys going on long drives. “I love it when people get shocked when they see me driving the car,” he said.

That joy, however, is rooted in the ridicule he experienced in the past. “Earlier, when I used to go sit on the driving seat, people would chase me, saying you won’t be able to do this. That drove me to buy my own car and make sure that I drive it myself,” he recalled.

Skipped my own wedding twice fearing rejection

The challenges surrounding his height also affected his personal life. Goswami said he once believed that he would never get married.

“During my struggling days, there was this girlfriend who would spend a lot of time with me. I would often help her with getting work. We would go to auditions together. In the process, I fell for her. When I expressed my feelings to her, she didn’t just reject me but insulted me. So much that I thought I will never get married. ‘Are you crazy? Have you seen yourself? Your height?'” he recalled.

The incident left him deeply fearful of rejection. He eventually cancelled his wedding twice.

“My father fixed my wedding and called me to our village. Around this time, I was busy with work, I couldn’t afford to travel so I told him to cancel the wedding. Two years later, they again fixed my wedding, the preparations started, and called me just a few days before. But I was offered work again and I cancelled. That woman was married to my brother,” he said.

A few years later, his parents decided to take matters into their own hands and told him that his mother was unwell.

“When I reached my village, I saw ladies singing. They said I was getting married in four days. I was very scared of rejection again. I told my father, ‘Can you please show them a picture of me?’ He said, ‘They have seen your show.’ Yet, I insisted that we have a low-key marriage in a temple. Less people means less hurtful rejection,” Goswami recalled.

His fame, however, meant that even the private wedding attracted attention. A large crowd gathered at the temple, prompting the police to intervene because they suspected the woman was being forced to get married.

“My height made them take the bride to the side and ask her whether she was being forced to do this. She clarified that she liked me and we finally got married,” he said.

From struggling to living a happy life

Today, Goswami has two sons, both of whom are of average height. “My older son wants to become an IAS officer, while the younger one is inspired by APJ Abdul Kalam. He wants to become a scientist,” he said.

During his struggling years, Goswami also relied on his wife for financial support.

“She had got money for her mooh dikhai. In three months, she helped me with about Rs 5,000. Now, she makes me repay her in lakhs,” Goswami joked while speaking to The Mani Podcast.

Goswami is now gearing up for a new series from the makers of Tumbbad. According to the actor, the show also stars Pankaj Tripathi and Kunal Kemmu.