Old is Gold, they say.
Well, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take Two just proved that.
In the early 2000s, when
the world was proudly entering the new millennium, here in India, millennials
were busy calling it the Y2K (in fact, the Y2K fever had gripped the lingo of
the youth). Having been through a major IT revolution, India was still opening
to the idea of an all connected network of computers called the Internet. New
experiences were being witnessed in different spheres of IT, education,
governance, communication including the ever favourite entertainment.
A little prior to this,
in the 1980s, the Ramayana of Ramananda Sagar had first created history in the
Indian TV viewing experience. Sunday had become the most awaited day of the
week. Gradually, genres like comedy, horror and others were mined for improving
the experience.
Fast forward to early
2000s, new experiment was again being done to reinvent the magic- except this
time, WE, the 1990s-born kiddos were experiencing the magic of these
experiments ourselves. We did not have to listen to the stories of the awe that
Arun Govil created on screen – we were witnessing our own Sumeet Raghavans
ourselves.
None
of that magic would have been that impactful had it not been for the artistic
geniuses of the directors and production houses that created the lovable
content. Be it ‘The Great Indian Comedy Challenge,’ or ‘Khichdi’ or ‘Remix’ or
any other show that commenced in that era, our generation – which, by the way,
had not crossed the age group of 12-14 years by then- was blissfully witnessing
the ‘new content’. TV was influencing our perception of the world, if not
defining it completely and thus, the association between the change in age and
change in TV content was inherent and inevitable.
It
then comes as no surprise that members of the Sarabhai vs Sarabhai fan club
were exuberant when the news of the amazing series returning to celluloid was
out. Yes, it was a fun moment; it was a fan moment for virtually everyone who
had ever witnessed the finesse with which Hats-Off productions weaved magic in
the early 2000s through its well-thought plot and comedy, the essence of which
has stayed with an entire generation of TV viewers who did not yet have the
privilege of watching their dear TV telecasts at the click of a button on
YouTube. The best that the viewers of that time had was a repeat telecast which
too prevailed only if one had the luck and time to grab the remote control at
the exact time. For the deep love for Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, I and many like I
am, ensured that even the repeat telecasts were never missed. That explains why
we were demanding season reruns or a new season altogether; For us, it was a
journey to the good old days, to the times when we were what we can never be
again; to relive the days that added to the golden sheen of childhood.
The days, however, would not be relived if the series changed the plot thoroughly and left no points of
reference to reflect and connect. Contrary to the expectations of many, Take
Two has only slight changes in the storyline and that, in my opinion, is a
commendable way of making a comeback. For many, ‘things are as they were,’ is a
point of disappointment but for many of us, it is exactly what we had been
awaiting. Yet again, many find the series ‘changed very much’. Opinions may and
should differ, but the likes of me would agree that the new season is exactly
how it should have been.
The
excitement with which the show had been awaited had to be matched in the
delivery of content and in turn, of its characters. When a series such as
Sarabhai makes a comeback, it has a great degree of expectations from the
audience to meet for the viewers expect to experience the same magic that had
made them fall in love with the previous season. It, then, becomes natural for
them to want to meet the characters and the storyline with the same essence and
flavour- It is, after all, due to the love for that very essence that the
series had achieved the popularity that it did. Who gets nostalgic about the
series without quoting Monisha’s “Daddyji, ye nostalgia kaun hai?” said with a
naughty grin; without comparing that one gossip friend of their friend circle
with the Maya-Sarita duo or the worst poet in a gathering with ‘Kachcha Kela’ 😉 . A good series like Sarabhai
traverses from the TV screens into the lives of its viewers just this way. A
slight change in the plot, however, does not disturb the poise.
Keeping in line with this
theory, Hats Off productions have recreated the connect between the characters
and the viewers. JD and Aatish Kapadia, among others, deserve appreciation for
being able to keep the flow intact. As
the concept note on their website says – “In this series like its first season,
the characters and their idiosyncrasies collide with each other and generate
generous dollops of inventive humour.” This collision is what was awaited.
This
leads to another point of debate related with the discussion around Sarabhai.
Experiencing the class and family conflict is not a rare affair for a lot of us.
That said, creating jokes on such stereotypes of conflict indicated, for
example, by the famous ‘its-so-middle-class’ phrase could be argued against. But
the irony that simply rules out any apprehensions against comedy-on-stereotypes
is that the Indian middle class was and is the first audience that the series
that got its popularity and love from. Nothing is better than the ability to
take jokes on one’s own self and related identity. And may be that is why
Maya’s taking a dig at the ‘middle class habits’ does not offend but amuses
greatly. None of this humour could have been possible without highlighting
class and personal conflicts. In the era of heated debates over who offends and
gets offended, the fact that the Indian middle class has so heartedly accepted
this wise humour gives great hope.
The
new season of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai is, thus, a bliss. The 1990s-born are proud
to belong to a generation that has been witnessing the entertainment content
become bigger and better with time. We are proud of the Sarabhai team that has
recreated the magic without disturbing the poise in the storyline that it had
left us with. The plot is amusing and has only left us wanting to have more of
the episodes very soon. A major chunk of the audience is awaiting to see more
because not watching Sarabhai vs Sarabhai is just so middle-class!
