Actress Munmun Dutta, best known for her role as Babita Iyer in the long-running television sitcom 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah', has shared a series of nostalgic throwback photographs revisiting her early career, including her first international trip to Sydney, Australia in 2006 and a shoot with filmmaker Pooja Bhatt in Goa.

Sydney 2006: A First International Adventure

Dutta took to social media to share photographs from her 2006 modelling assignment in Sydney, which she described as her first-ever international travel experience. She revealed that the pictures were taken on a Kodak camera she had purchased with her own savings. 'Circa 2006 — a picture from good old modelling days. Went to Sydney for a brand campaign. My first ever international travel and I was super excited,' she wrote alongside one of the images.

Among the photographs was a shot of her posing near the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as a picture at Bondi Beach, where she recalled the intense summer heat. In another memory, she appeared wrapped in a mustard-yellow blanket, humorously noting she could not recall why, speculating it may have rained. She also shared a photograph posing with a koala during the trip.

Goa Shoot and the Pooja Bhatt Connection

Moving to 2005 memories, Dutta shared pictures from the sets of 'Pooja's Holiday', shot in Goa. One photograph showed her in a warm embrace with filmmaker Pooja Bhatt. 'From the set of Pooja's Holiday in Goa. This was definitely from one of the many dinners we all had together post shoot,' she captioned the image, offering a glimpse into the camaraderie behind the scenes.

Hyderabad, Music Videos, and Early Nerves

Dutta also recalled travelling from Goa to Hyderabad to shoot her first Telugu film song alongside veteran filmmaker D. Ramanaidu. She described the experience as nerve-wracking, noting she was 'a complete novice, new to the language, new on a set with people I didn't know.'

Separately, she revisited memories from 2006 or 2007, when she appeared in a music video alongside Punjabi singers Malkit Singh and Jassie Sidhu. She spoke warmly of Singh, saying she 'couldn't stop raving' about him, given that his song 'Gur Naal Ishq Mitha' was, in her words, 'a cult hit of our generation.'

A Childhood Snapshot and a Career Timeline

Rounding off her nostalgic post, Dutta also shared a childhood photograph of herself, playfully noting that unknown eyebrows had been sketched onto it with a pen — attributed by her to 'the photographer uncle from those old photo studios.'

Dutta began her television career with 'Hum Sab Baraati' in 2004 and went on to feature in films including 'Mumbai Xpress' and 'Holiday'. She became a household name following the premiere of 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' in 2008, in which she continues to portray the beloved character of Babita Iyer. The post offers a rare window into the years of hustle and travel that preceded her rise to television stardom.