Exclusive: Shivaji Satam on inception of 'Kuch toh gadbad hai' line, CID memes and the team's bond with Lata Mangeshkar

As Shivaji Satam celebrates his birthday on Wednesday, we took a walk down the memory lane with the actor and spoke about CID.

Shivaji Satam has appeared in a variety of movies and shows throughout his long career. However, it was the long-running cop drama CID that took the actor's popularity to new heights. Shivaji played ACP Pradyuman in the show, created by BP Singh. As he celebrates his birthday on Wednesday, he took a walk down memory lane in a chat with Hindustan Times.

Veteran actor Shivaji Satam plays ACP Pradyuman on detective thriller TV show CID.

The actor revealed that the famous catchphrase, "Kuch toh gadbad hai, Daya (Something's fishy, Daya)" was not originally planned but came about when he was discussing a scene with the show's creator.

"One day I was talking to him, discussing something about the scene and he kept on (staring). I asked, 'What happened?' (He said) 'Jis tarah se tu explain kar raha tha. Abhi jo tu aise haath kar ke bata raha tha. Yehi mujhe chahiye, karega tu ye? Isko tu ACP ke character mein laa sakta hai kya? (The way you were explaining, using your hands, will you be able to replicate this as ACP?)' he asked me," Shivaji recalled. After some back-and-forth, Shivaji replicated the gesture for the show, and the rest is history.

The line remains popular among viewers even years after the show ended. It has become fodder for memes, as well. Shivaji thinks of this as a compliment. He also revealed that one of his favourite memes is ACP Pradyuman morphed onto the Statue of Liberty.

"That was the most creative, amazing thing I had come across (laughs). Imagine, Statue of Liberty with ACP's moustache and eyes. How can one even think of such a thing, it is so amazing! What more wonderful compliment can be there than this," he gushed.

Not just viewers, but celebrities, too, have showered the show with love. One of the show's most popular fans is legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. Shivaji revealed that the singer has hosted the cast at her house. "For her, CID is like her family. We've had dinner with her and her family. She's gifted us some wonderful gifts. One such is a wristwatch. I use it and with pride, I say, 'Lata didi gave this to me.' They love us all," he said. He also added that she calls and checks up on him from time to time.

Theatre and television actor Shivaji Satam with Lata Mangeshkar. (Courtesy: Twitter)

While social media has amplified the popularity of the show's dialogues and characters, its flaws have also come under the spotlight. Many viewers poke fun at illogical scenes and cheap production values. Addressing these complaints, Shivaji said, "CID was never a reality show or a docudrama. It was pure fantasy. You have to finish your subject in one hour or 45 minutes. So somewhere you had to take jumps. A case would take months to solve. There are certain (cases) where you'll need more than two episodes to go. You can't shoot each and every paragraph of a story. So those things will always be there. There's always be something which will be illogical but life also is illogical sometimes."

Although it has been over two years since the show ended, Shivaji said that a reunion might be in the pipeline. He revealed that the the negotiations were almost done, but the pandemic played spoilsport.