Mandar Chandwadkar, who is best known for his role in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah as Aatmaram Tukaram Bhide, was recently the victim of a death hoax. Online reports claimed that the actor had died, causing panic among his friends and fans. The actor has now responded to the false information, stating that he is in perfect health.

On Tuesday, Mandar posted a video to his Instagram account in which he slammed the death hoax and asked those spreading the rumours to stop. “It’s a request to the people who are spreading rumours not to spread,” he wrote in the caption, adding a series of folded hands emoji.

Mandar said in the video, “Hello there, everyone. Namaskaar, How are you all doing today? I hope your work is going well. I’m also at work, but there’s some news that someone forwarded, and I figured I’d respond before anyone became concerned. So here I am on Live. Because rumours spread like wildfire on social media. I just wanted to confirm that I’m shooting well and having a good time.”

He added, “Jisne bhi ye kaand kiya hai usko please request hai ki aisi afwahe na failayein, aur bhagwan unko sadbudhi dein (Whoever has created this scandal, I request them not to spread such rumours, and I pray that God blesses them with good sense. The artists of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah are in excellent health and look forward to entertaining audiences for many more years. So, once again, I ask that you refrain from spreading such rumours.”

Fans thanked Mandar for clearing the air and dispelling the rumours in the comments section of his post. Meanwhile, some questioned whether rumours that Sailesh Lodha was leaving Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah were true. Sailesh, who plays the title character Taarak Mehta, has been absent from the show for quite some time.