On Wednesday, it was announced that after Ramayana and Mahabharat, other popular TV shows like Byomkesh Bakshi, Shaktimaan, Circus, Buniyaad, Shriman Shrimati and others will also be re-aired on Doordarshan. The decision came after PM Narendra Modi’s 21-day national lockdown in order to curb the spread of coronavirus. Among them, one show that caught our attention was Dekh Bhai Dekh, which first aired in 1993 and featured an ensemble cast including Navin Nischol, Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, and Bhavana Balsawar, among others in pivotal roles. The 90s cult comedy depicted the lives of three generations of Diwan family, who all lived together under one roof in the Mumbai suburbs.
Now as the show has started re-airing from April 1 at 6:00 pm everyday, PeepingMoon.com exclusively spoke to Shekhar Suman to understand how he feels about the show and if the new generation will relate to its content. Excerpts from the interview:
How do you feel about Doordarshan’s decision to re-air Dekh Bhai Dekh?
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I feel extremely good. I have a lot of emotional connect with the show and when I ventured out, people used to only ask me about Movers and Shakers and Dekh Bhai Dekh. The fans asked if the show will be re-made and I had no answers for it. So now with the show re-airing, the newer generations will get to see it and the older generations will refresh their memories. The show was all about the family getting together and fighting a crisis - emotionally, physically and spiritually. So the show comes back again when people are seeing tough times.
Personally too, I was in a rough patch when the show came to me. I was 30 and a father of two. But when I got to know the show has a backing of Jaya Bachchan with director Aanand Mahendroo, who is known for his craft, I could not say no to it. And the rest is history. In a way, DBD was a shot in the arm and it resurrected me from the ashes. I was a flickering flame which was about to get extinguished and it saved me.
DBD will bring back the whole community together who will laugh, cry with each other during the ongoing tough time. It will bring a sense of togetherness.
Do you think the newer generation will connect with it?
I definitely think so and for a simple reason that emotions and love don't have a shelf life. The idea of the show is still not outdated and as people are now rediscovering closeness with everyone at home, DBD will bring a positive change. In the end, we are all Indians who are family oriented.
In the era of OTT platforms, bringing back old TV shows like DBD make sense or not?
I don’t know if it will work or not because for me, it is not a show but a beautiful emotion. Anybody who hasn’t seen the show is certainly missing on to something. It can be said that classics remain classics and nostalgic values are like wine - the older they get, the better they are.
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