MUMBAI: Actor Hrishikesh Pandey is still known and loved for the role he played in C.I.D. The actor says that there are still many fans who still recognize him by his character in the show. “It’s a wonderful feeling, C.I.D was so popular among all age groups. I still have so many people wanting to talk about the show, even while travelling out of Mumbai and over India and abroad, people recognize and they know the characters so well. Every school, college, wherever I go, the kids relate to these characters. It’s a wonderful feeling, no doubt about it,” he says.

Ask him if he ever feels overwhelmed or unable to handle the fans, and he says, “There is nothing to deal with and I guess I feel very comfortable as long as there is no harm and people are not pushing others around. It’s always lovely to meet my fans. I feel there are a lot of characters in Television that they know but there are only some characters who they really follow. Liking a character is different than loving it.”

In fact, he has many fans coming and asking for advice as well. “So many people ask me to speak to their kids and guide them. I have been approached many times by parents who are well-educated but still they say that why don’t you guide my child. They even come and tell us about anything wrong that they have done. Even though we are not cops, it feels nice to hear all this,” he says.

In fact, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar is a big fan of C.I. D. and also shares a great rapport with the actor “The whole nation knows, the whole world knows about how well Lata ji sings. But a lot of people don’t know how she is a lovely human being. We are so close and I feel so blessed. I go to her house and we often have meals together. It’s a beautiful feeling and I feel that we are really genuinely blessed with such wonderful human beings around us who are so grounded and down to earth. It’s an out of the world feeling, knowing them in person. Initially, we couldn’t believe it, especially, I couldn’t believe when I got a call that Lata ji wants to talk. I couldn’t believe that it’s the real Lata ji!” he says.

Meanwhile, Hrishikesh says that he loves playing cop roles. “I’ve done many! I think I started from Sakshi, I played this role for a show on Sony where we met the other actors there Amit, Saad, Sameer Soni Molly. There was a Special Bureau with Anup Soni, Sudhanshu Pandey and Salil Ankola. We were all part of that show and had a wonderful time shooting, that also for Sony. After that, I also did a couple of other projects as a cop, including C.I.D,” he says.

 Ask him who plays the best cop in showbiz, and he says, “In Bollywood, of course, my one and the only favourite is Mr. Bachchan, be it in Zanjeer or his other films. I think, after him, is Ajay Devgan in Singham.”