Khichdi to start mid-April

The wacky comedy Khichdi is all set to return to the small-screen next month. It will be an hour-long show starting from April 14 and aired every Saturday and Sunday. While producers are wary of launching their shows during IPL, JD Majethia feels that the cricketainment will actually benefit his show. He says, “I believe that IPL will bring in a new audience for my show. Cricket and comedy can co-exist. Whenever there is a break in the match or it gets boring, people like to tune in to comedy shows. I know usually there is a drop of 10-15 per cent during IPL, but since we are on the same network that will telecast the matches, it will work for us.”

As for the mad Parekh family comprising Supriya Pathak, Rajeev Mehta, Vandana Pathak and Anang Desai, JD says that this time they will be more crazy. “The Parekhs have shifted into a new house and they are in trouble. That is the premise of the show and it will have some known names from the television world like Renuka Shahane and Deepshikha Nagpal making walk-in appearances in every episode.” He adds that they have retained the strength and essence of the characters, but made them madder and added some new elements in the form of cameos. Does he expect it to be as big a hit as it was earlier? “Khichdi has a great brand recall value. While Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai had more loyal viewers, Khichdi was watched by a large number of audience. Even a film was made based on it and people loved it. Whenever the film is aired on TV, it does well. So, these are all the advantages we have and I think it will work well for us,” he signs off.