Manoj Pahwa

Pahwa was raised in a Punjabi family in New Delhi. His father migrated from West Punjab (Earlier part of India), Pakistan to India after Partition. He was educated at the National Public School in Daryaganj, New Delhi. In an interview, Pahwa stated that he lived in East Delhi’s Lakshmi Nagar locality after his father built a house for them. His father had a business of automobile batteries and he wanted him to join the family business. Pahwa shifted to Mumbai (then Bombay) in his late 20s. Pahwa started his career with television in the early days of television in India with a small but noticeable part in the superhit serial Hum Log, and later acting in many comedy series, getting considerable roles in Just Mohabbat (1996-2000) and Office Office (2001). He made his movie debut with Tere Mere Sapne (1996) and has acted in 50+ films and TV series as a character actor, known for his comic timing and antics, although he never relies on the "fat joke" style of comedy. He played the lead the opening segment of anthology horror film Darna Zaroori Hai (2006) directed by Sajid Khan. During the shoot for Mausam (2011) directed by Pankaj Kapoor, in Chandigarh, he met the local producers, which led to his Punjabi film debut, Heer & Hero.