Sandeep Anand of Life OK sitcom May I Come In Madam attributes the continuing success of his show to the entire team right from producer, director, actors to the spot boy.
“One of the main reasons for saying yes to this Edit II project was that our theme of forbidden fruit (being a married guy yet his character eyes his boss) is very universal. Also most of the situations which happen on the show are borrowed from real life; we just exaggerate them bit to suit the TV format. This potent combination has enabled us to sail against the wind and make a fictional comedy format a success, in a scenario wherein of late only live and stand up shows in the comic genre have set fire to the ratings meters. The story is written and executed in such a sharp manner that not only the three leads (Sajan his wife Sapna and boss Sanjana) even the minor characters (mother in law and brother in law etc) have earned love and affection of the audiences,” shares an elated Sandeep.
Here the actor adds that while shooting the team always maintains the thin line which separates fun from vulgarity. “Sagar does want to cheat on his wife, he is just smitten by his boss’s (Neha Pendse) beauty . As a veteran theater artist, I know the importance of language and style. Slight differences in tone and choice of words alone can make all the difference.”
Sandeep, while giving due importance to correct writing, opines, “The producer, director and creative head create the basic framework for a character, but it depends on the concerned actor to infuse life into it , hence correct casting is paramount lest even the best written concept can go for a toss. No wonder many shows come and go, while only few remain etched in memories courtesy their spot on characterizations. I have been blessed that all my characters (FIR and Sun Yaar Chill Maar) so far have become hits. The fact that people identify themselves or other as Sajan proves that I have done my job as performer.”
Although being a versatile actor Sandeep would like to play around with genres other then comic, yet he accepts that he is typecast in this genre, “Small screen producers are not open to risk taking. Unlike films where a Nawazuddin Siddiqui can do all types of roles, here if you are successful in one type of genre, it becomes your Achilles heel. The only way I can satisfy the actor within is by experimenting with various sub genres i.e. slapstick (FIR) and mytho comedy (Betaal Aur Sinhasan Battisi).”
In closing he accepts that some audiences tend to take comic artists lightly, “Thinking us to be one among them some time they get too personal. On the other hand industry people give lots of respect to comedy stars be it Aashif Sheikh (Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai!) and Dilip Joshi (Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah) for they appreciate the fact doing comedy is no walk in the park.”
