How iconic TV show Dekh Bhai Dekh, which brought families together, was made

Barely two minutes into the first episode of Dekh Bhai Dekh, the audience gets introduced to Kareema, played by Deven Bhojani, as he tears pages of a newspaper to distribute them among the members of the Diwan family. You get introduced to everyone in the process, beginning from elder daughter-in-law Suhasini Diwan (Farida Jalal) to ‘chachu’ Sameer (Shekhar Suman).Â

Later in the episode, we see the entire Diwan family at the dining table, laughing, bantering and eating together. It’s symbolic of India’s traditional family setup, where family members are our companions who remain with us through thick and thin, no matter how different a person is from another.

In that opening episode, which premiered 31 years ago on May 6, Dekh Bhai Dekh let its audience know exactly what the show would be about. People of various generations lived together under one roof. Despite differences of opinion, they never left each other’s side. Every time they bantered, they only created laughter for the audience, who somehow found themselves in every character and situation. It was this relatability and the happiness that it brought with itself that Dekh Bhai Dekh became one of the best TV shows of all time.

Best scenes of Dekh Bhai Dekh

In 1990, Jaya Bachchan asked director Anand Mahendroo to make a show for her newly-opened production house, Saraswati Audio Visuals Pvt Ltd (later merged with husband, actor Amitabh Bachchan’s Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited).

Jaya Bachchan had liked his work on his previous sitcom, ‘Idhar Udhar’, which starred Supriya Pathak and Ratna Pathak Shah, and wanted to create a comic show for the young audience. After she didn’t get a positive response from him, she took veteran Bollywood star Shammi along with her to Mahendroo’s office.Â

“In 1992, she came to my office with Shammi aunty. Shammi aunty told me in front of her, ‘Itna bhav kyun khaa raha hai (Why are you showing so much attitude?)'” Mahendroo recalled during an exclusive interaction with IndiaToday.in.

After being pulled up by such a senior actor, Mahendroo agreed to make a show for Jaya Bachchan. Unlike many producers, Bachchan was flexible about how the show be made. She left it to Mahendroo to decide what he wanted to make. “Within 15 days, I wrote four scripts and within a month we went on the floor,” the director shared.Â

“Comedy comes naturally to me and I come from a joint family. There were around 26–27 kids in the family. So, I drew inspiration for the show from my family. In terms of sketching the characters, it did not take me more than six-seven hours to work out the characters. I modelled the character of Suhasini (Farida) on my mother. Sunita’s character (Bhavana Balsaver) is modelled on my chachi. Shekhar Suman added quite a dimension to Chacha’s character,” Mahendroo added.Â

In the late 80s and early 90s, with shows like Hum Log (a family drama), Ramayan and Mahabharat (mythological shows), Byomkesh Bakshi (a detective series), Buniyaad (a show based on the Partition of India and Pakistan) and Malgudi Days (a children’s show), the Dekh Bhai Dekh’s setup was still a rarity.

The TV audience was still craving something which everyone could enjoy together. Enter, Dekh Bhai Dekh.

A still from Dekh Bhai Dekh.

Asked by IndiaToday.in what the recipe was behind Dekh Bhai Dekh’s success, Mahendroo initially said he wasn’t really sure what worked. After a pause and having collected his thoughts, the director said he thought it was good writing, acting and multi-camera setup, which worked in the show’s favour.

“These three things worked together, which didn’t have any nonsense. There was no grave topic being discussed, only subtle messages were being given, like what is a family and what is the happiness of being with a family. Since everyone was connected with their family, so obviously family comedy connected with the audience. Also, my show had children,” said Anand Mahendroo.

Deven Bhojani, who essayed the role of domestic help, Kareema, found relatability the biggest factor behind Dekh Bhai Dekh’s success. “It was a family show, and it had all the generations, from kids to youngsters, middle-aged people, and senior citizens, so it was a complete package. The audience found warmth in it, and they connected with the characters instantly because they must have met such characters some time in their lives,” he said.Â

“Also, people were deprived of comedy because, before this show, comedy shows were not made,” the actor added.Â

Dekh Bhai Dekh was initially only a 26-episode DD show

In times when TV shows had a strict restriction of 13 episodes, Dekh Bhai Dekh was introduced with 26 episodes, with an episode airing on Doordarshan every week. But, given how it was received by the audience, it got an extension and eventually became a 65-episode show.Â

Besides its premise, it was the quality of the show which made it a winner. It could maintain quality because the makers would spend 4 to 5 days making one episode. “We used to devote a lot of time. We used to take 4–5 days to make an episode,” Bhojani shared.

But as smooth as the show appeared on the TV screens, it was not as smooth to direct. The show’s team shot it on the non-AC floor of the famous RK Studios in Chembur, Mumbai.

“It was also not an AC studio, and we had to keep the doors shut so that there was no noise. It used to get suffocating because there were so many lights and cameras. It used to get claustrophobic. But, kaam kaam ke josh mein hum kar gaye, (we did it in our passion for work). It is now that we think about how we used to shoot it. Overall, the energy was so positive and fun,” Bhojani said.

Veteran actor Sushma Seth, who portrayed the character of ‘dadi’ Sarla Diwan, didn’t mind shooting in the heat, as she was used to such working conditions.

Navin Nischol, Sushma Seth, and Shekhar Suman in Dekh Bhai Dekh.

“There would be sweat pouring down on either side of the face or behind the ears. But actors would more often (than not) carry on. Earlier, there were no air-conditioned studios. I remember shooting under such conditions in all the studios and even in theatre. So, I was used to this,” Seth told IndiaToday.in.

Many elements of Dekh Bhai Dekh were fantastical — the way Suhasini addressed her husband (Aye ji, oh ji, suno ji) for one — and was an equal partner in her relationship with Balraj Diwan (Navin Nischol), was one that resonated. After watching the soaps of today, where women are reduced to abla naaris of the world, Suhasini seems way ahead of her time.Â

“I got a lot of compliments that the show’s family looks like a real family. It doesn’t look like some actors are brought together to play a family,” Mahendroo remembered.

Anand Mahendroo was a tough taskmaster 

For all its hilarity factor and resonance with the cast, working with Mahendroo was no cakewalk for the actors. He was extremely particular about the way he wanted to get things done, and he got on Farida Jalal and Deven Bhojani’s nerves, forcing them to leave the show, and approach producer Jaya Bachchan.

Bhojani revealed that Mahendroo would go for 40–50 retakes before finalising a shot. “Initially, we were like, ‘What is happening?’ but then we got used to it. It used to be tough for us. Some people also fought,” said Bhojani.Â

“I had some misunderstanding with Farida ji initially when I started taking re-takes. She removed her wig, threw it away and yelled, ‘Till today, Raj Kapoor never asked for a retake, and you are asking me to give the second retake. I will not work with you.’ She called up Jaya ji and told her she didn’t want to work with me. Jaya ji told her that I wouldn’t listen to her, so she could decide if she wanted to do the show or not. She told Farida ji, ‘I am just a producer for the sake of it.’ So, Farida ji called her husband and asked him to pick her up and went to her make-up room,” narrated Mahendroo.Â

Instead of overreacting, Mahendroo shot the scene he wanted Farida Jalal to shoot with his assistants and showed the footage to the actor. After watching it, she got overwhelmed and hugged the director, telling him, “Tauba Tauba, aap ye chahtein hain? Hum samajh nahi paa rahe the. (You wanted this? I was unable to understand. I am sorry)’.”

Anand Mahendroo created Dekh Bhai Dekh on Jaya Bachchan’s insistence.

Actor Sushma Seth also complained to Mahendroo, “Itni mehnat toh humne kabhi bhi nahi ki (We haven’t worked so hard ever)'”. But she eventually realised the director’s and the team’s vision. “The result was so excellent that as an artist you don’t crib the hard work. Also, they worked harder than we did. All night they would edit to have a perfect take and episode,” she shared.Â

Mahendroo was not unaware of what his actors thought of him when he was trying a multi-cam setup for the first time, “All the actors, especially the elder ones like Farida Jalal, called Jaya Bachchan and said, ‘Bewakoof director le liya hai tumne. (You have hired a mad director). He has not yet shot a single scene. He doesn’t take the shot and keeps asking us for re-takes.’ So, Jaya ji told me, ‘Anand, I won’t increase the budget. You are trying to do a multi-cam setup in the budget of a single camera. Don’t do this.’ Different people told me not to do it. But I stuck to my guns and that added to the quality of the show.”

Scenes of Dekh Bhai Dekh were written on the set itself

Urvashi Dholakia, who was only 13 when she shot for the show, reveals that the scenes of Dekh Bhai Dekh were written on the sets. Seth added that during the reading sessions, people would improvise and make the scenes better.Â

“There was a basic idea but then everyone contributed as they went along. During the reading sessions, they would come up with extra lines or situations, and it would work. The contribution was primarily of Liliput (MM Faruqui), Shekhar Suman and Bhavana Balsaver. They were very spontaneous about adding to the script,” Seth shared. Â

As enduring as the Diwan family appeared on-screen, they were as close to each other on the set. Seth described it as a “very good team” which sat together and laughed about things. “It was a harmonious team,” she said.

Urvashi Dholakia in a scene from Dekh Bhai Dekh.

Urvashi also had fun shooting for the show after school. She remembered, “There used to be an actor called Rakesh Thareja, he used to stay in between my house and school. He was given the responsibility of getting me from the school to the sets.”Â

Even director Mahendroo pampered his cast when the cast was not shooting for the show. “After the 52nd episode, I gifted everyone a Maruti 1000. I took them to London for 13 episodes. We had great fun over there. It was all at my expense. Not Jaya ji’s. I would bring gulab jamuns and food from home for them. I might be a hard taskmaster, but I am not a bad human being. After the first four episodes, everyone was sure that this show was good,” he said.Â

How Dekh Bhai Dekh got its title 

Mahendroo has an interesting tale to tell about how he came across the title of the family drama. “There is a friend of mine in Agra. In 1990, his business must have been worth more than Rs 150 crore. He was a very simple man. Once he told me that there was an income tax raid at his home and they told the officers, ‘Dekh bhai dekh, agar tune meri factory mein kadam bhi rakha…(See, if you set a foot in my factory…) That just stuck with me, and I registered the title in 1992,” he narrated. Â

Dekh Bhai Dekh title song

For many of us, the idea of spending quality time with family, without anyone distracted by their phones, has become aspirational. Dekh Bhai Dekh perfectly captured this feeling, reminding us of those cherished moments when we simply sat together with loved ones, enjoying each other’s company while watching the show.

Anand Mahendroo has plans to bring back the families together in front of the screens, as he is ready with the script of Dekh Bhai Dekh 2, with 26 episodes and 73 actors.Â