Arvind Vaidya
A Gujarati stage veteran who has acted in or directed more than 300 plays and is known on TV as Bapuji in Anupamaa, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Arvind Vaidya has been acting for more than sixty years, from Ahmedabad’s college stages to some of India’s most-watched TV shows. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Gujarat [1].
Ahmedabad years
Vaidya was born on 3 May 1941 [2]. He earned a diploma in drama from Gujarat University in 1966 at H K Arts College, finishing with first-class distinction, and went on to teach there while directing and acting in Gujarati plays such as Paritran [2]. He later worked as a production assistant at ISRO, working on its programmes [2].
Natya Sampada
He founded his own theatre company, Natya Sampada, and through it produced, directed and acted in more than 75 full-length plays [2]. In 1993 he moved to Mumbai and began working in Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi, and he directed the Marathi TV series Harya Narya [2].
Television
In all he has directed or performed in more than 300 plays and appeared in over 100 TV productions [2]. Viewers know him from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Khichdi and Baa Bahu Aur Baby, and as Bapuji in Anupamaa [2]. He is still working in his eighties [2].
His honours include the Gaurav Puraskar from the Government of Gujarat [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Arvind Vaidya — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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