Dayanand Chandrashekhar Shetty (born 11 December 1969) is an
Indian film and television actor and model, best known for his role as Senior Inspector Daya in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
's longest-running television police procedural, ''
CID''. He was inducted into the
Gold Awards Hall of Fame in 2018.
Personal life
Shetty was born on 11 December 1969, in a
Tulu speaking
Bunt family in
Shirva village in
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is located in the states and territories of India, state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the ...
(now
Udupi district
Udupi district (also Udipi () in Kannada or Odipu () in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara old north Malabar c ...
) of
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
to Chandra Prakash Shetty and Uma Shetty. He has two sisters (Naina and Sandhya). He did his B.com from Rizvi College,
Bandra
Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa is a coastal suburb located in Mumbai, the largest city of the Konkan division in Maharashtra, India. The area is located to the immediate north of the River Mithi, which separates Bandra from the Mumbai City district. It ...
in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
.
He married Smitha Shetty and they have a daughter, Viva Shetty.
Career
Shetty is a sportsman who turned to acting due to a leg injury. He was a shot put and discus thrower, and won many prizes in these sports. He was the champion of discus throw from Maharashtra in 1996. He has acted in many commercials and has won awards as a theatre artist. He won the Best Actor award for his role in the Tulu language play ''Secret''.
He auditioned and was selected for the role of ''CID'' officer in 1998. He is known for his role of Senior Inspector Daya in ''
CID''. He along with actors
Shivaji Satam and
Aditya Srivastava
Aditya Srivastava is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television and theatre. He is best known for his role as Senior Inspector Abhijeet in India's longest-running television police procedural ''C.I.D. (Indian TV series), C.I.D.'' He ...
are the main leads of the show. He has also written for some of the episodes of
''CID''.

In ''CID'', Senior Inspector Daya is known for his immense strength, whose name is enough to make the toughest of criminals break down. Daya's signature dialogue in ''CID'' is "Jab Daya ka hath padta hai, to muh ke andar daaton se piano bajne lagta hai" (meaning "When Daya slaps someone, then a piano plays in the mouth by the teeth"). One of the most famous dialogues in ''CID'' is that of ACP Pradyuman asking him, "Daya darwaaza tod do" (meaning "Daya, break the door"). This dialogue became so popular that it is even used in the film ''
Singham Returns'' and ''
Singham Again
''Singham Again'' is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Rohit Shetty, who also co-produced it under Rohit Shetty Picturez, alongside Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios and Devgn Films. Based on an original story ...
'' in one of its most appreciated scenes. In ''CID'', Daya is also critical in finding clues to solve cases. Although tough in appearance, he is also soft-mannered and sympathetic in nature and is always the first one to support team members and others when they need help the most.
Shetty has acted in TV commercials, plays and films. He also won the "Best Looking Guy" vote, conducted by Indian Television in 2002. He also participated in ''
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'' (Season 4), a dance reality show.
A song was recorded for ''CID'' episode (aired on 21 January 2012), which was a lullaby sung by Shetty and his fellow actors Shivaji Satam and Aditya Shrivastava. His talent as a singer has been appreciated in talk shows like ''Movers and Shakers'' as well.
The movies he has acted in include ''
Johnny Gaddaar'', ''Runway'', ''
Singham Returns'' and ''
Singham Again
''Singham Again'' is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Rohit Shetty, who also co-produced it under Rohit Shetty Picturez, alongside Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios and Devgn Films. Based on an original story ...
''.
Shetty has made guest appearances in shows like ''Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'' and ''Kkusum''. He has acted in ''
Gutur Gu'', which is a silent comedy show (in both season one and two). He has made appearances as a celebrity guest in shows including ''
Deal Ya No Deal'',
''Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (season 4)'',
''Kahani Comedy Circus Ki'' and ''Aapka Sapna Hamara Apna''.
He participated in ''
5th season of Khatron Ke Khiladi'' doing many stunts, but was eventually eliminated.
Shetty and
Shivaji Satam appeared as celebrity guests on the TV show ''
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs'' (in the Independence Day Special episode of 2011). Shetty, Satam,
Aditya Srivastava
Aditya Srivastava is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television and theatre. He is best known for his role as Senior Inspector Abhijeet in India's longest-running television police procedural ''C.I.D. (Indian TV series), C.I.D.'' He ...
and
Narendra Gupta Narendra Gupta may refer to:
* Narendra Gupta (actor) (born 1962), Indian actor
* Narendra Gupta (entrepreneur) (aka Naren Gupta, 1948–2021), Indian-American businessman
{{hndis, Gupta, Narendra ...
also appeared on ''
Kaun Banega Crorepati
''Kaun Banega Crorepati'' (simply ''KBC''; English: ''Who Will Become a Crorepati'') is an Indian Hindi-language television game show. It is the official Hindi adaptation of the '' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' franchise. It is presented ...
'' in 2014. He has won the best-supporting actor award (for the role of Senior Inspector Daya in CID) in the Gold Awards 2012.
Shetty and Srivastava teamed up for a travel and food-based YouTube non-fiction show called ''Safarkhana'' in 2024.
Shetty also played the role of ACP Daya in film ''
Singham Again
''Singham Again'' is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Rohit Shetty, who also co-produced it under Rohit Shetty Picturez, alongside Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios and Devgn Films. Based on an original story ...
''.
Filmography
Films
*''All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.''
Television
Special appearance
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shetty, Dayanand
Indian male film actors
Indian male television actors
Living people
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Indian male stage actors
Male actors from Karnataka
Tulu male actors
1969 births
People from Udupi district
Male actors in Hindi television
21st-century Indian male actors
Contestants on Indian game shows
Participants in Indian reality television series