Reported By:
| Edited By: Chaya Unnikrishnan |Source: DNA |Updated: May 07, 2017, 06:20 AM IST
He is the brain behind the quirky, sitcom Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, which won audiences with its classy humour laced with a pinch of sarcasm. The show is all set to return with a season 2. This time, he will also be directing some episodes of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Take 2, that will be streamed on a digital platform. Here the inimitable Aatish Kapadia, who has a way with words and talks dime-a-dozen, tells us how it feels writing for a web series vis-a-vis TV, his favourite character in the show, the state of comedy on TV and more...
Except for the fact that the GEC (General Entertainment Channel) laws, which are tough, are not applicable here (web) and we have more freedom to express ourselves, nothing much is different. Nor have we taken undue advantage of this. But in Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Take 2, the relationships are evolved - now Indravadan and Maya have become grandparents, Monisha and Sahil have a son - and the humour is different. There is a maturity in the relationships, and a new kind of fun. The humour is razor sharp.
Yes, I think it has gone back by 10 years! That's why I say the audience will find the humour in Take 2 razor sharp.
In the last 10 years, TV has got extremely dominated by women. Nine out of 10 women audiences prefer soaps and romances. Comedy is a man's domain. Homemakers love watching soaps that have a saas, a bahu, a vamp, etc. They get intimidated by Maya Sarabhai - kaisi saas hai, kaise bolti hai! Even the original Sarabhai was ahead of its time, that's why it didn't make sense to bring it back on TV now. The audience that watched Sarabhai then has now shifted to digital platform. Those who watch the so-called comedy showson TV today are not my audience. Anyway, for me the medium is not important, what I want to say and how well I say it, is more important.
I think we as viewers and people take ourselves seriously. Our sense of humour is not evolved. Even if somebody says something in light humour, people get angry. They will even bring out a morcha! We Indians were known to be open, taking pride in our diversity and culture. Now, we have become touchy about the same things. We have become intolerant towards comedy. Humour has to be taken with a pinch of salt. You have to laugh at yourself. I make fun of my squint, my nose and am grateful that my son looks like my wife! But generally 9 out of 10 people get offended if you make fun. We are becoming cloistered, living in our cocoon. In the US people make fun of the President and he also laughs, but here if you try to do that to a local minister you will be threatened. I have heard that on some non-fiction shows, celebrities walked out because the host made fun of them. Why are they (celebs) giving themselves so much importance? Why can't they let their hair down and have fun. It's just a show, don't take it so seriously. Only if we do that, humour will get better acceptance.
I like the humour written in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. It is timeless. For that matter even Dharma & Greg, Everybody Loves Raymond and Modern Family. Then there is extreme humour seen in the Borat films where big celebrities are lampooned with elan and confidence. And they take it in good fun. In films, I loved the comedy of Delhi Belly, which was dark and insane but so good, vis-a-vis the potboilers, which I don't want to name. The films might have made Rs 100- 300 crore business, but the comedy in them was ribald, pedestrian and suitable for six-seven-year old kids.
Yes, I have seen every character you find in the series. They are either my relatives or friends. I have exaggerated a bit and made the characters mad, but they are close to reality!
Maya Sarabhai without doubt. I am Maya in my head. Woh kaafi vyang karti hai. Being upper class or middle class is not determined by economic status. It is in the mindset. A crorepati shows kanjoosi, when his driver asks for a Rs 200 hike and that according to me makes him middle-class. A person from an ordinary background can be classy. Maya breaks all stereotypes. She cooks well, takes care of her children, controls her husband and at the same time is an emancipated, independent woman.
