Yogesh Tripathi, aka Happu Singh of Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain, is among the very lucky character artists to get a lead role. He will now carry forward his very popular bribe-taking character to a separate standalone show called Happu ki Ultan Paltan, again on &TV.
“Till now you have only seen the antics of Happu in the streets of Kanpur. Now get a glimpse of his home life, never shown before in Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain. Audiences will see how my character Happu, who troubles others outside, is treated at home by his mother (Himani Shivpuri) and wife (Kamna Pathak). And rest assured, he gets a good dose of his own medicine. You are in for a really funny ride; just hop on from the 4th of March.”
“The creative team told me to be ready to explore many more aspects of Happu, which will further allow the actor in me to flourish. I have always added my own inputs to the character and the same will continue. The best part here is that, unlike Bhabhiji, which had a slight adult tone of coveting another’s wife, ours is much more family-based, as I have nine kids, with the next perpetually on the way,” he says.
Shifting gears to Bhabhiji, Yogesh, who has been a theatre artist and a part of Edit 11 productions for years, having also done FIR, says, “The best part of this show is that all the characters, apart from the four main leads, have been so well written that they have found a place in people’s hearts. No wonder they decided to take my character’s story forward.”
Talking about his co-stars, he says, “Both Himani and Kamna are very good artists and I am sure they will very quickly understand the graph. As for me, it is just an extension of what I have already been doing for four years.”
Since your character has a thing for Gulfam Kali, will she enter the show to create sparks between Happu and his better half? “Well, as of now there are no plans to bring in any more Bhabhiji characters, but you never know what may happen down the road.”
Yogesh, a school-teacher’s son, also wonders at how success changes people perceptions. “Back in the day when I was struggling, everybody would tell dad why is your son wasting time in acting? And now the same people ask him to put in a good word to me so their kith and kin can also succeed in the entertainment industry.”
In closing, Yogesh, who in real does not have a paunch, says as an actor, he will do what it takes to get into the skin of the character. “No wonder I am ready to look funny with this hairstyle. It is sad that some actors are more bothered about looks than their craft.”
