Sarabhai vs Sarabhai

Sarabhai vs Sarabhai is an Indian sitcom which ran on STAR One from 8 November 2004 to 11 September 2006 and on Hotstar from 15 May 2017 to 17 July 2017. The show was created by Jamnadas Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, directed by Deven Bhojani. Starring an ensemble cast including; Satish Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Sumeet Raghavan, Rupali Ganguly, and Rajesh Kumar, it revolves around a quintessential upper-class family living in South Mumbai. The series was produced by Hats Off Productions. Regarded as being ahead of its generation in terms of its concept and writing and having average viewership ratings at the time of its initial release, over the years it has become a cult classic and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian comedy shows of all time.

Sarabhai vs Sarabhai
Written byAatish Kapadia
Directed byDeven Bhojani
Aatish Kapadia
StarringSatish Shah
Ratna Pathak
Sumeet Raghavan
Rupali Ganguly
Rajesh Kumar
Country of originIndia
Original language(s)Hindi
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes80 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)
Production company(s)Hats Off Productions
Release
Original network
Original release8 November 2004 (2004-11-08) –
17 July 2017 (2017-07-17)
External links
Website

Premise

The show revolves around the life of an upper class Gujarati family, the Sarabhais, who live in a luxury apartment building, and later in penthouses, in the upmarket Cuffe Parade area of South Mumbai.

The family consists of Maya and Indravadan Sarabhai, who have three children.

Sahil, the eldest, lives in the apartment opposite to them with his middle-class wife Monisha. Sahil is a cosmetology doctor, and is very composed as compared to the other characters. Monisha's middle-class habits irk Maya, a snooty and snobbish socialite. She constantly insults her with "light-hearted jokes" and attempts to correct her ways but in vain.

Maya and Indravadan's second child, Sonia, is a psychic, married to a technician Dushyant, who irritates the family by explaining everything about machines. His catchphrase is "I'll explain.".

The youngest child, Rosesh, is a poet and actor, whose poems are a constant source of comedy for the show. Indravadan loves to torture Rosesh and taunts his poetry, and him, for being his "Momma"'s puppet. He is unmarried and lives with his parents.

The other characters in the family include Indravadan's sister Ila, and her tone-deaf husband Madhusudan, whose catchphrase is "Hain?".

This all ensues comedy and conflict in the daily events happening in the Sarabhais' lives.

Much of the humour in the show is derived from the shallow interactions among the city's elite and their perceived notions of the shortcomings and failings of the middle-class society.[1]

Characters
Main article: List of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai characters

The series featured five principal characters throughout its run:

This section needs expansion of characters as characters of Indravadhan's mom ,Kaccha Kela etc are not written and the recurring cast section also need expansion for the description of the cast.

  • Indravadan Sarabhai: Satish Shah portrays Indravadan Sarabhai a.k.a. Indu, who is an ex-director of a multinational company. He retired early to take care of the children and help Maya work as a social worker. He is the funniest character in the show, and constantly picks on Maya and Rosesh. He always sides with Monisha in case of a tiff between her and Maya, and constantly tries to create fun conflicts by ratting Sahil out to them, or them out to each other. He is irritated by Madhusudan bhai and his "hain?"s the most, as well as Dushyant, his son-in-law. He is the jest in the family and has attained the title of "Narad Muni", the court jest in Hindu mythology.
  • Maya Sarabhai: Ratna Pathak Shah. She is the female head of the Sarabhai family, and runs the family like a pro. Being a snooty upper-class socialite, her daughter-in-law Monisha's middle-class money-saving techniques and unkempt behaviour is a constant pet peeve for Maya. Her catchphrase is "It's so middle class!", and she continually uses sarcasm to taunt Monisha and make her see the error of her ways. She is constantly after Indravadan to fix his dietary and cleanliness habits, not much unlike Monisha, and pampers her younger son Rosesh, also making sure he doesn't take in a middle-class wife like Sahil. Her son-in-law Dushyant also irritates her by dropping in every time an appliance is damaged.
  • Sahil Sarabhai: Sumeet Raghavan portrays Sahil Sarabhai, a cosmetic surgeon. He is the eldest child, and probably the most "normal" one. He is soft, calm, wise, and noble, and is constantly trying to resolve conflicts in his family, between Maya and Monisha, Maya and Indravadan, and Indravadan and Rosesh. He often gets 'sandwiched' between his mother and his wife, and tries not to hurt anyone. He avoids conflicts but loves making fun of his younger brother Rosesh, similar to Indravadan.
  • Monisha/Manisha Singh Sarabhai: Rupali Ganguly, a middle class, Punjabi girl from Noida, and now the daughter-in-law of the Sarabhais. She rarely cleans the house and is always lazing around watching daily soaps on the television. She develops a dramatic nature from these shows, and always ends up saying "Mai ghar chhorke ja rahi hu!" to Sahil after every argument with Maya. Her passion is to save money, come what may. She is always at loggerheads with Maya for her thrifty ways. Her father-in-law always supports her, while Sahil is torn between the two. Despite being careless, Monisha is a honest, and innocent loving woman. Manisha was named Monisha by Maya as she found the name Manisha 'too middle-class'.
  • Roshesh Sarabhai: Rajesh Kumar portrays Rosesh Sarabhai, the youngest child of Maya and Indravadan. He is a theatre artist, aspiring actor, and a poet. He is Maya's favourite and she pampers him a lot. Maya is the only member of Sarabhai family who approves of and appreciates his absurd poetry and acting skills. He has a love-hate relationship with Indravadan as he is always the target of his jokes and pranks. He always seconds his "Momma", even if he doesn't feel so. He has a peculiar and amusing voice, and his poems are always bad but funny.

Other recurring characters include 1. Ila ben, Indravadan's sister portrayed by Rita Bhaduri 2. Madhusudhanbhai, a hearing impaired brother-in-law of Indravadan Sarabhai portrayed by Arvind Vaidya 3. Dushyant Painter, son-in-law of Sarabhais portrayed by Deven Bhojani 4. Sonya Sarabhai Painter, a psychic, and the daughter of Indravadan and Maya portrayed by Kshitee Jog / Shital Thakkar in Season 1, and Aishwarya Sakhuja in season 2.

Season 2 introduced some new characters; Arnab Sarabhai a.k.a. Guddu, the 7-year-old son of Monisha and Sahil, as well as Jasmine Mavani, an actor and singer from Jamnagar, Rosesh's love interest portrayed by Vaibhavi Upadhyay.[2]

Episodes
Main article: List of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1708 November 2004 (2004-11-08)16 April 2006 (2006-04-16)
21015 May 2017 (2017-05-15)17 July 2017 (2017-07-17)

Season 1

Being the season that gained this show its immense popularity among South Asian viewers, Season 1 aired in 2004. It revolves around the lives of the 5 main characters portraying conflicts in different contexts, revolving around the themes of family-life and the upper-class of Mumbai. The season features a variety of supporting characters that intertwine with the lives of the main 5, for drama and comedic purposes. An overlaying plot (especially towards the end) is Rosesh's quest for a girl. Throughout the season we meet different potential suitors, with extreme traits that clash with different members of the house. Other common plots are: Monisha v/s Maya conflicts in terms of her 'Middle Class' behavior, and Saahil often finding himself stuck in the middle of this conflict. Indhravadhan, Maya's husband is often found sparking these conflicts for his own enjoyment. Throughout the season, the characters experience different social and emotional 'adventures' delving into their relationships, conflicts, interactions and history.In the final episode, the principal characters are seen stating that there would be another season of the series.

Season 2 (Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2)

After seven years, the life of the Sarabhai family has not changed much. Now Monisha and Sahil have a seven years old son Aurnob a.k.a. Guddu and finally Rosesh has found his love interest Jasmine Mavani also gaining the main role in a TV serial which he eventually loses. The family has moved to new penthouses. The season ended with Monisha taking Aurnob to Noida and indicating for a new season to come.

Production

Conception
Season 1

The show was produced by Jamnadas Majethia under banner of Hatsoff Production. The show was directed by Deven Bhojani and the story and screenplay was written by Atish Kapadia. Sahil and Monisha are married and are living across Sahil's parents Indravadan and Maya sarabahi with Rosesh, their son and Sahil's younger brother. Maya constantly taunts Monisha because of her behavior and language tone and constantly refers her as "middle class" . Sahil in entire series is kind of stuck between whether to take her wife's side or mom meanwhile Indravadan supports her daughter-in-law all the time. Rosesh on the other side is an actor and writes poetry which Sahil and Indravadan dislikes Rosesh is a momma's boy , he is Maya's favourite son. Maya is a classy and sophisticated woman. Series goes through various events involving their lives.

Season 2 (Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2)

In 2012, Deven Bhojani denied that the series would return.[3] The cast reunited in June 2016 over a belated 65th birthday party of Satish Shah when the future of the show was discussed.[4] The producer Jamnadas Majethia promised some good news for the fans. Later, the actors of the show confirmed the return of the new season as a web series entitled Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2.[5][6][7][8][9] The series was picked up by Hotstar with the same cast, and the story is set after seven years of the last season's conclusion.[10]

Casting

Deven Bhojani made a debut as a director of the first season. He also played recurring character of Dushyant in the series.[11]

Filming

The first season was shot on the sets located at Kanjur Marg in suburban Mumbai. The cast was provided with their own rooms backstage with nameplates with each character's name for rehearsals and preparations.[11]

Broadcast

The Season 1 was broadcast from 2004 to 2006 on STAR One. Reruns of the series also aired on sister channel Star Utsav.[12] Season 2 was released on digital platform Hotstar from 15 May 2017 to 17 July 2017.[13]

The show was telecast from 6 April 2020 on Star Bharat as the production of the ongoing series had to be stopped by the channel due to COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

Reception

Viewer reception
Season 1

The season 1 was a weekly show and was closed after two years due to low TRPs. The newly introduced stand-up comedy shows on the same network garnered TRPs as high as 9 while the Sarabhai received TRPs of as low as 0.63. The series started re-run of episodes as a daily show and it became popular.[13][15]

Season 2

The season 2 was one among the most anticipated sitcom sequels, it opened with positive critical as well as viewer reception.[2][16] but later the show was heavily criticized for poor writing and sets but the performances were praised.[17][18]

Accolades
Season 1

The Show won 5 Indian Telly Awards and Indian Television Academy Awards in 2005.

Indian Television Academy Awards 2005[19][20]
  • Best Serial, Comedy (Jury)
  • Best Director, Comedy (Jury) - Deven Bhojani
  • Best Actor, Comedy (Jury) - Satish Shah
  • Best Actress, Comedy (Jury) - Ratna Pathak Shah
  • Best Dialogues (Jury) - Aatish Kapadia
Indian Telly Awards 2005[21]
  • Best Serial (Comedy)
  • Best Director (Comedy) - Deven Bhojani
  • Best Actor (Comedy) - Satish Shah
  • Best Actress (Comedy) - Ratna Pathak Shah
  • Art Direction (Fiction) - Omung Kumar Bhandula

References
  1. "Lunching with the Sarabhais!". www.rediff.com.
  2. "Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2 first episode review: This time it is funnier and more insane". The Times of India. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  3. "'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' won't come back: Deven Bhojani". Times of India. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  4. Lohana, Avinash LohanaAvinash (14 March 2017). "Sarabhai series to kick off by month-end". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  5. "Sarabhai vs Sarabhai shoot to begin soon: JD Majethia". 16 November 2016.
  6. "'Yay, Whoopie!' Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai to Return as Web-Series Soon". NDTV.com.
  7. "Aila! 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' to Return as a Web Series This Year". The Quint. 30 June 2016.
  8. "It's Confirmed! Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Is Coming Back, This Time As A Web Series". Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  9. "Here's why Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Hip Hip Hurray returned as web series". Hindustan Times. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  10. "Sarabhai vs Sarabhai to return in May. Here's its cast then and now". The Indian Express. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  11. "On the sets of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai". Rediff.com. 29 June 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  12. "STAR - Programme Guide". web.archive.org. 16 May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009.
  13. "EXCLUSIVE: Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2 cast opens up about the new season; makers hint Khichdi might return as a web series". India Today. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  14. shweta keshri. "Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai and Khichdi are the latest shows to return on TV - Television News". Indiatoday.in. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  15. Unnikrishnan, Chaya (5 November 2016). "Satish Shah feels Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai was the first failure of his TV career". dna. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  16. "Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Take 2 review: Clean comedy show torn between classes and masses- Entertainment News, Firstpost". Firstpost. 23 July 2017.
  17. "Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Take 2 review: Clean comedy show torn between classes and masses". Firstpost. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  18. Chawla, Ankita. "'Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Take 2' is funny, but it's not as sharp as the original cult comedy series". Scroll.in. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  19. "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  20. "The Hero Honda Indian Television Academy Awards 2005". IndianTelevisionAcademy.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  21. "Star One sweeps Telly awards". Rediff.com. 7 November 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
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