Well-known TV producer, JD Majethia (Hats Off) accepts that the title of his new SAB TV show, Bhakarwadi, might not immediately resonate with audiences outside Maharashtra and Gujarat where this delicacy is loved.
“Our story is a fun clash of two families i.e. one Marathi and one Gujarati, as it often happens over who makes a dish better. Therefore people in say Uttar Pradesh or Bengal might not get what we say at first. So the challenge is to convince people who like good content to sample our offering. Once on board, I am confident they will stick around, as we have not made it into a communal issue. Being a Gujarati who has lived and worked in Mumbai for years, we understand the local culture very well. So nothing will be done to hurt anyone’s sensibilities,” says JD in a chat with IWMBuzz.com.
“Also, it is more of a clash of ideologies. Anna (Deven Bhojani) believes in old traditions while Mahesh Thakkar (Paresh Ganatra) feels it is imperative to change as per time to fight off competition. Also, as the story proceeds, other differences like joint family (Anna’s) vs nuclear family (Thakkar’s) will creep up.”
Indeed interesting.
He further continues: “The love story between the lead characters, Abhishek (Anna’s son) and Gayatri (Mahesh’s daughter) will become very strong. But yes, their fathers and respective families will continue to play an important role in the narrative. Both Akshay Kelkar and Akshita Mudgal are great actors and I have high hopes from them.”
Talking about casting, JD adds, “We are lucky to have found great actors in Deven, Paresh and Bhakti Rathod, who plays the latter’s on-screen wife Urmila, along with a few others in the Anna family. Full marks to writer Aatish Kapadia for having developed all the characters so well that each one stands out on his or her own self.”
Talking about comedy per se on desi tube, JD, who has produced cult laugh shows such as Khichdi and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, adds, “The current situation is not very good, for creativity does go for a toss when you have balanced out things in face of TRP pulls and pressures. No wonder most shows either have very simple comedy or tend to go below the belt. Here I must credit SAB TV for having given me the liberty to make good shows.”
On a closing note he says: “Channels also need to put their money where their mouth is; like this show is expensive to mount, given the high quality cast and different-looking sets. I remember I had to produce Mahisagar on a shoestring budget, so had to make do with one set.”
We wish him all the success.