It was the glorious year of 2004 when Hats Off Productions gave us the wonderful gift of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, as the much needed breath of fresh air amidst the saas-bahu sagas that ruled the telly rooster at the time.
The show told the story of an upper-middle class Gujarati family of South Bombay, whose daughter-in-law was from a middle class Delhi background. The show went off air in 2006 and even though the audience was promised an equally rocking second season, it’s been eight years since and sadly enough, the audience is still waiting with bated breath.
The makers of the show managed to give us great scripts that were based on strong storytelling; but what made the show come alive were its carefully quirky characters.
1. Indravadan Sarabhai
Surveys over decades have proven that women across age groups are attracted to a man with a great sense of humour and Indravadan Sarabhai is just that! Played by Satish Shah, Indu is a loving father (to Sahil), a doting father-in-law and a super fun husband. The mischievous prankster is ironically the head of the house… well, at least till Maya makes an appearance.
2. Maya Sarabhai
Maya, played beautifully by Ratna Pathak Shah, is the real head of the house. In her off shoulder blouses and chiffon sarees, the lady is ‘sophisticated’, bitchy, hypocritical and fabulous; all at the same time. If only she could do something about her middle class bahu Monisha, whom she constantly cuts to size sarcastically and ends comments with ‘Don’t mind beta’. What a riot!
3. Monisha Sarabhai
The middle class Monisha is constantly struggling to make mother-in-law happy. Cleaning the house may not be her forte, but if there were ever a bargaining competition, we know who’d be the undeniable queen. A source of constant embarrassment to mummyji, Monisha, played by Rupali Ganguli, is un-classy and unapologetic. We love it!
4. Sahil Sarabhai
Caught in the middle of this mad family is the sweetheart Sahil Sarabhai. The understated character is performed to the T by Sumeet Raghavan and provides the only shade of ‘normal’ in the family. Blessed with a great sense of humour too, Sahil often finds himself having to choose between his mum and his wife; a situation where Indravadan always adds fuel to fire.
5. Rosesh Sarabhai
Momma’s boy Rosesh, played by Rajesh Kumar, gets enough ridicule from his family members for his creative juices to flow. After all, “Momma ka purse jaise hospital ki pyaari koi nurse”, you guys!
6. Dushyant Painter
We all have Deven Bhojani to thank for this epic show. Not only does he play the overtly tech savvy Sarabhai son-in-law Dushyant, the guy has actually directed this insane show! Dushyant always finds his muse in Rosesh for all his technical explanations and leaves us in splits each time he comes on screen.
7. Madhusudhan Fufa
“Hain?!” Enough said.
Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai is one of the most awaited comebacks on Indian television. The satirical show actually provided an insight into society and its funny ways. We really miss this smart comedy on the tube and pine for its return.
Tell us, who was your favourite character from the show?