Archana Gautam revealed that one of her early projects was the popular show CID, where she played the role of a dead body and earned Rs 3,000 per day.
Updated: June 20, 2026, 4:45 PM IST
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https://www.india.com/entertainment/archana-gautam-recalls-playing-dead-body-in-cid-during-struggling-days-i-earned-rs-3000-8452168/
Archana Gautam (PC – Instagram)
Actress and former Bigg Boss contestant Archana Gautam opened up about the struggles she faced in the early days of her career. Speaking on the reality show Tum Ho Naa, hosted by Rajeev Khandelwal, she said that success in the entertainment industry did not come easily and she had to take up very small roles before getting recognition. Sharing one such experience, Archana revealed that one of her early projects was the popular show CID, where she played the role of a dead body and earned Rs 3,000 per day.
She said, “Aisa sab log sochte hai bohot easy hoti hai cheeze industry mein, ekdum se kaam mil jata hai. Nahi, infact mera sach aadhe logon ne nahi jana hai ke maine kya kiya hai. Mera teesra serial tha CID, to aapko pata hai usmein ek laash ka role tha aur mujhe woh karna tha aur mujhe per day mil raha tha 3000. To CID mein woh the na senior, main leti hui thi, woh meri aankh khol ke dekh rahe the. Ab mujhe toh aadat nahi hai bhai murda hone ki, toh matlab samajh rahe ho aap, maine woh tak dekha hain, toh main sochti hu maine bohot chote-chote roles kiye hain, bohot saare TV serials mein.”
(People often think that everything is very easy in this industry, that you get work overnight. But that’s not true. In fact, most people don’t know the real struggles I’ve gone through. My third television show was CID, where I played the role of a dead body, and I was paid ₹3,000 a day. I still remember the senior actors on set checking my eyes while I lay there pretending to be lifeless. I wasn’t used to playing a corpse, of course, so it was quite an experience! I’ve done all of that. Looking back, I feel I’ve worked really hard, taking on many small roles across several television serials before reaching where I am today)
Gautam further said that according to her, many people are unaware of the challenges that one has to face in this industry for long.
For the uninitiated, Archana Gautam rose to nationwide fame after participating in ‘Bigg Boss 16’.
Her outspoken personality, unfiltered remarks and entertaining presence made her one of the most talked-about contestants of the season.
She later went on to appear in Khatron Ke Khiladi 13.
