Memories of Comedy Shows on T.V.

Well... well... well... It turns out that he does read my blogs. No idea who I’m speaking about? Ohh... I’m referring to that same friend who has the birdsong in the background when he calls. I haven’t the faintest idea how he read the last write-up. I’m sure none of you must have spilled the beans, I trust you all, of course. But it’s strange! So, he did and made quite a to-do beating around the bush. Anyway, though he’s not miffed because he’s not sure if I’m talking about him, I can’t afford the loss of the sound of birds singing. So, I’ve decided to drop the idea of writing more about birds.

With food and birds off the list (temporarily) I thought why not talk about humour... comedy on television. I’m certain this is quite a safe topic to write on. And, we can all do with a dose of healthy laughter or memories of them, now more than anytime else.

My memories take me back to some of the best comedy sitcoms on television. Those were the days when humour was clean. The jokes were not lewd and had no double meaning. Expressions, voice intonation and body language went a long way to make one laugh. Much was left unsaid for the viewer to fill in the gaps for himself, get the joke and laugh out loud. Just like Andrew Stanton said in a Ted Talk when speaking about good story telling, “The audience wants to work for their meal; they just don’t want to know you’re making them do that.”

Some of the Indian shows I remember watching religiously were: Tu Tu Main Main, Filmi Chakkar, Ji Mantri Ji (Indian version of Yes Minister), Hum Paanch, Chamatkar, Ghar Jamai, Jaspal Bhati’s Full Tension and Flop Show, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Khichdi and Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai.

Then there were a few English humorous ones like: The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, Yes Minister, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Mind Your Language and Are you being served? Every day there would be something or the other on the television that would bring forth that sudden giggle or guffaw.

Out of all those wonderful shows that I remember there are two which prominently still stand out in my memory from days gone past. One is Dekh Bhai Dekh and the other is Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai. Dekh Bhai Dekh was directed by Anand Mahendru and produced by Jaya Bachchan. This comedy series premiered on 6th May 1993 on DD National. It kept its audience hooked for sixty-five episodes. It starred some wonderful actors, to name a few : Shekhar Suman, Navin Nischol, Farida Jalal, Bhavana Balsavar, Deven Bhojani, Sushma Seth, Vishal Singh, Nattasha Singh, Daisy Irani, Shammi, and Lilliput. The serial told the story of three generations of the Diwan family who lived together in an ancestral bungalow in the suburbs of Mumbai. Each episode would draw peals of laughter with Balraj Diwan (Navin Nischol) forgetting, Chachi aka Sunita Diwan (Bhavna Balsavar) trying to write a successful novel, Chachu – Sameer Diwan (Shekhar Suman) talking gibberish and skidding off the stairs while climbing down or Lilliput playing different crazy roles. Each character had its own unique features that would definitely bring that ‘feel good’ factor for the audience.

Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, is again close to my heart for its satirical aspect and powerful performances. This is an Indian sitcom which ran on STAR One from 1st November 2004 to 11th September 2006. It returned for Season 2 on Hotstar from 15th May 2017 to 17th July 2017. The series was produced by Hats Off Productions and directed by none other than Deven Bhojani. The brilliant star cast included: Satish Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Sumeet Raghavan, Rupali Ganguly, and Rajesh Kumar. The story revolved around a quintessential upper-class family living in South Mumbai. This extraordinary sitcom was regarded as being ahead of its generation in terms of its concept and writing. Initially, it had average viewership ratings but over the years it has become a cult classic.

The serial reveals the life of an upper class Gujarati family - the Sarabhais, who live in a luxury apartment building in a posh area in Mumbai. Maya and Indravadan Sarabhai have three children:

Sahil, the eldest of the three, lives in the apartment opposite them with his middle-class wife Monisha. Sahil is a cosmetology doctor and is very calm and collected as compared to the other family members. Maya, the typical mother-in-law, is a snooty and snobbish socialite who dislikes Monisha’s middle-class habits. She constantly cracks ‘light-hearted jokes’ on her and attempts to correct her ways but all that is in vain.

Monisha, the daughter-in-law is the ‘bargain queen’. She can and does bargain for everything from a stalk of coriander to a pair of slippers to one plate of sev batata puri. She loves discounts and sales.

The second child, Sonia, is a psychic. She’s married to a technician named Dushyant, who irritates the family by explaining everything about machines. His catchphrase is “I'll explain.” He uses Roshesh to demonstrate his harum-scarum explanations.

The youngest Sarabhai, Rosesh Sarabhai, is a poet and actor, whose poems are a constant source of laughter for the show. Indravadan loves to taunt Rosesh for his poetry, and him, for being a ‘Momma’s boy’. His poems ‘Meri Momma ka purse’ and ‘Teen pair waala kutta’ are a scream and one must hear them without fail. He is unmarried and lives with his parents. Prospective matches for his marriage bring about roars of laughter from the viewers.

The other minor characters in the family include Indravadan's sister Ila, and her deaf husband Madhusudan Bhai. Madhusudan Phoofa in spite of being stone deaf hardly uses a hearing aid and loves to voice his catchphrase “Hain?”

And then, there’s a poet who’s pen name is ‘Kacha Kela’. He loves to pen and recite poems like – Main Dhakkan hoon.

Now, one can imagine what happens when the city’s elite and their perceived notions of the shortcomings of the middle-class family are expressed. This sitcom which has a cult-like status has a lot to offer including drama, conflict, comedy and laughter.

Somehow, none of the much recent comedy serials have made an impact as these two for me. Nor I remember their names as vividly as the ones I mentioned here. Have you watched any of these two sitcoms? If not, do try a few episodes. I’m sure you’ll find yourself laughing uncontrollably. I definitely can do with a laugh after all this writing. It’s so refreshing! I fancy hearing a bit of Rosesh’s ‘crack’ poetry tonight before I sleep! Catch you all next week.

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