Veteran actor Himani Shivpuri lost her cool at the recent press conference to announce her new &TV show, Happu ki Ultan Paltan, which is a spin-off of the popular Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain. Here the story focuses on the home life of corrupt and flirtatious police officer Happu Singh.
Himaniji, who has been around since years, doing class shows such as Humrahi and Hasratein, got miffed when a reporter asked her about a possible wrong message going out to society, since her on-screen son, played by Yogesh Tripathi, has nine kids and is awaiting the 10th.
“God, this is entertainment. Please don’t attempt to find any social message in this. And what great social take away most dailies have, with with makhi dayans and all the adultery thrown to garner eye balls? We all know it is wrong to have so many kids. Ideally, you should not have more than one kid. But all this is a different domain. People tune in to have a hearty laugh after a hard day’s work and we want them to laugh their woes away. Anyone can understand that this concept of having 9 kids is just a creative ploy; no one will really take it seriously.”
“And if you want to stretch the public message argument, at least our show does not propagate the saas-bahu fracas, for my boisterous daughter-in-law (Kamna Pathak) will always stand by me. Together, she and I keep Happu in check. While he may run amok outside, at home we women alone call the shots.”
Talking about her character, she says the best part is the way it is written. “I have lots to say and do. It is unlike most shows where your character fizzles out after a month and then you end up mouthing the same lines over and over again. I have full faith in Edit 11, having seen their quality output in Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain.”
“My widow character still believes that her husband is around, despite his death a decade ago. No wonder, she still dresses like a married woman. In her mind, she sees her husband and talks to him. By now, even the kids believe that their grandpa is there, though no one has ever laid an eye on him.”