01 October,2026 10:44 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
KK Goswami and Mukesh Khanna. Pics via X and Instagram
KK Goswami may have been told repeatedly that becoming a hero was an unrealistic dream, but the actor refused to let his height limit his career. Born with dwarfism, Goswami faced years of bullying, ridicule and limited opportunities before finding recognition through popular television shows such as Shaktimaan, Shaka Laka Boom Boom, Gutur Gu, CID and Vikraal Aur Gabraal.
Speaking about his journey on The Podcasting Couch, Goswami recalled how his passion for acting developed alongside some difficult experiences growing up. His father, a drama director in their village, would cast him as Krishna and other mythological characters. The attention he received during those performances made him realise that acting could give him a different identity.
Goswami said he did not initially understand that he was different from his classmates. "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," he recalled.
The teasing continued through college. "They would put me on their shoulders and run. Twist my ear. Ask me weird questions. Often pull pranks on me," he said. The experience affected his education. "Bullying killed my passion for education," Goswami recalled, explaining that he eventually left his studies and explored photography instead.
Even after moving to Mumbai in 1992, the mockery continued. Goswami said people laughed when he told them he had come to the city to become 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."
His first television opportunity came in 1995 with WOW - Winner of the Week. During his early years in Mumbai, Bappi Lahiri also helped him find work. "He called me Mini Bond," Goswami recalled, revealing that he earned between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 on Lahiri's shows.
Goswami's breakthrough came with Junior G, after which he appeared in several popular television shows. However, he often had very little dialogue. "On Mukesh Khanna's Shaktimaan, I had only one dialogue, âMay the darkness prevail.' I got fed up," he said.
He eventually approached the director and asked for more lines. "I said, âI can be Mini Shaktimaan if you want.'" The joke worked, and Goswami said his role subsequently received more dialogue.
His long-awaited opportunity to play a lead came with Vikraal Aur Gabraal in 2003. Yet Goswami remains critical of the industry's approach to actors with dwarfism. "In Bollywood, they have random, ridiculous roles for us," he said.
He also recalled meeting Salman Khan and telling him, "I am here to become like you." According to Goswami, Khan subsequently offered him multiple roles, although he was unable to take them up.
Outside the industry, Goswami said discrimination still affects his everyday life. "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," he said.
Despite those experiences, Goswami continues to work. He is now set to appear in a new series from the makers of Tumbbad, alongside Pankaj Tripathi and Kunal Kemmu.
