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Gujarati family soul still in tradition
Deepika Garodia, a 17-year old college student and resident of
Madonna Colony feels she is a little like the star-struck Indu of
Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Or that's what her family tells her. "My mother always keeps saying
that like Indu, I also love watching films," she laughs.
A fact that her mother Gayatri endorses. "She is a little mad, like
Indu," says Gayatri. Like Deepika, a lot of Gujarati families in
Borivli identify with the Gujju families on the small screen.
Television czarina Ektaa Kapoor, known for her spate of Gujarati
family dramas before she dramatically switched allegiance to the
bhadralok Bengali family, some say after the amazing success of
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, actually believes she must have been
Gujarati in a previous birth.
"That's what my friends tell me," she laughs. "I love the generous,
big joint Gujarati families and I think they typify the Indian joint
family at its best."
That's why her biggest and longest running soap opera, Kyunkii Saas
Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT), has a Gujarati family at its epicentre.
The serial has captured the imagination of most Gujaratis, who find
its combination of their traditions and its struggle to depict the
lives of the joint family on the threshold of modernity quite
interesting.
The serials showcase Gujarati culture
Sunita Chordia, a homemaker and resident of Vazira Naka, believes
that the Gujarati family has managed to keep its traditions alive,
which is what Kyunkii Saas… has captured in the serial. "I think the
soul of the Gujarati family is still in its traditional roots and the
joint family system," she adds. "That's why we identify so well with
it."
The problems of a joint family — ego tussles between saas and bahu,
the younger generation, extra-marital affairs, like the kind Mihir is
having right now and daughters who have problematic in-laws, like
Shobha's, strikes an emotional chord somewhere.
"I think most Gujarati families are going through what the Viranis
have experienced," says Hansal Mehta, an exporter and resident of
Chikoowadi.
"There are families who have to deal with issues like extra-marital
affairs, once unheard of," he says. "Maybe they happened even
earlier, but the man was very rooted in his family, he would make
sure that nothing hurt that status quo."
The Virani family is a caricature of the modern-day Gujarati family,
which is struggling to keep its traditions alive, including their
clothes, food and religious traditions, in a world that is constantly
changing.
In that sense KSBKBT represents the best of Gujarati customs. Whether
it is Tulsi puja, garba, or even food like dhokla and thepla,
Gujarati culture is beautifully incorporated in the serial.
From Ek Mahal… to Kyunkii…
Once, there was Buniyaad and Amaanat, daily soap operas that
reflected the mores and lifestyles of a Punjabi family.
Director Vipul Shah, whose long-running serial, Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka,
revolved around a patriarchal Gujarati family, says, "Since I was
from that milieu, and I had directed Gujarati plays, I set my first
Hindi serial in a Gujarati family."
Shripal Desai, an executive with Reliance and resident of Gorai
points out that Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka had that typical structure of a
Gujarati family, led by the aging patriarch, whom everyone is scared
of.
"It probably introduced Gujaratis to the national audience," he
feels. "Till then, except garba no one knew much about the community.
Most Gujaratis were seen as these constantly eating, always on a
holiday people.
This serial introduced audiences to the fact that Gujaratis are one
of the most successful and hardy communities."
Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka ended in 2002, and was one of the longest
running serials on Indian television. Then came the slew of Ektaa
Kapoor serials. She was inspired by the families of her Gujarati
friends.
"A lot of Kyunkii Saas… in its initial stages was taken from real
life," reveals Ektaa.
"Which is why I think a lot of Gujaratis identify with the serial."
After that, although several other serials too had the Gujarati
family as their backbone, none really worked.
"They were just normal, ordinary serials and could have been made
using any urban Indian family," points out television trend tracker
and critic Amita Malik. "They did not have anything particular to
say."
And now, the laugh riot Khichdi
Times change and so does the character of portrayal. From serious
family dramas to laugh riots, it's now time for the community to
laugh at itself.
The new tele-serial Khichdi, which revolves around an archetypal
Gujarati family, is drawing rave reviews and attention.
This family, unlike the Kyunkii Saas… one, is ready to laugh at
itself and its idiosyncrasies.
Supriya Pathak, who plays a hilariously dumb Gujarati woman in the
serial, says, "Instead of being offended, a lot of people have found
the character I am portraying in the serial very endearing. Several
Gujaratis tell me that they have learnt to laugh at themselves."
Director Aatish Kapadia, a veteran of several plays, recently
introduced a Christian bahu, Melissa, in the Khichdi family, thus
effectively creating absurd situations in the interaction between
people from two diverse communities.
Nari Mehta, a resident of Eksar Road who runs a garment store in
Indraprastha Shopping Centre, believes that the serial has touched on
the lighter side of the community.
"Some feel that it has gone too far, but I feel that it's time for
change. I have had enough of these family dramas where one is
scheming against the other. Now, it's time for some real fun."
Kapadia believes that Khichdi is a satire not only on one community,
but an entire society. "If people were as simple as my characters,
life would have been less complicated," he says.
"In my serial the jethani and devrani don't fight, they are very
protective of each other unlike in the other serials where they are
either bitching or fighting." He adds, "I am also rooting for change
in the community.
For instance, in one episode I showed Vandana Pathak, who's playing
the role of a widow, applying mehendi. When the relatives protest,
her entire family takes up for her."
Deepika Garodia, a 17-year old college student and resident of
Madonna Colony feels she is a little like the star-struck Indu of
Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Or that's what her family tells her. "My mother always keeps saying
that like Indu, I also love watching films," she laughs.
A fact that her mother Gayatri endorses. "She is a little mad, like
Indu," says Gayatri. Like Deepika, a lot of Gujarati families in
Borivli identify with the Gujju families on the small screen.
Television czarina Ektaa Kapoor, known for her spate of Gujarati
family dramas before she dramatically switched allegiance to the
bhadralok Bengali family, some say after the amazing success of
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, actually believes she must have been
Gujarati in a previous birth.
"That's what my friends tell me," she laughs. "I love the generous,
big joint Gujarati families and I think they typify the Indian joint
family at its best."
That's why her biggest and longest running soap opera, Kyunkii Saas
Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT), has a Gujarati family at its epicentre.
The serial has captured the imagination of most Gujaratis, who find
its combination of their traditions and its struggle to depict the
lives of the joint family on the threshold of modernity quite
interesting.
The serials showcase Gujarati culture
Sunita Chordia, a homemaker and resident of Vazira Naka, believes
that the Gujarati family has managed to keep its traditions alive,
which is what Kyunkii Saas… has captured in the serial. "I think the
soul of the Gujarati family is still in its traditional roots and the
joint family system," she adds. "That's why we identify so well with
it."
The problems of a joint family — ego tussles between saas and bahu,
the younger generation, extra-marital affairs, like the kind Mihir is
having right now and daughters who have problematic in-laws, like
Shobha's, strikes an emotional chord somewhere.
"I think most Gujarati families are going through what the Viranis
have experienced," says Hansal Mehta, an exporter and resident of
Chikoowadi.
"There are families who have to deal with issues like extra-marital
affairs, once unheard of," he says. "Maybe they happened even
earlier, but the man was very rooted in his family, he would make
sure that nothing hurt that status quo."
The Virani family is a caricature of the modern-day Gujarati family,
which is struggling to keep its traditions alive, including their
clothes, food and religious traditions, in a world that is constantly
changing.
In that sense KSBKBT represents the best of Gujarati customs. Whether
it is Tulsi puja, garba, or even food like dhokla and thepla,
Gujarati culture is beautifully incorporated in the serial.
From Ek Mahal… to Kyunkii…
Once, there was Buniyaad and Amaanat, daily soap operas that
reflected the mores and lifestyles of a Punjabi family.
Director Vipul Shah, whose long-running serial, Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka,
revolved around a patriarchal Gujarati family, says, "Since I was
from that milieu, and I had directed Gujarati plays, I set my first
Hindi serial in a Gujarati family."
Shripal Desai, an executive with Reliance and resident of Gorai
points out that Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka had that typical structure of a
Gujarati family, led by the aging patriarch, whom everyone is scared
of.
"It probably introduced Gujaratis to the national audience," he
feels. "Till then, except garba no one knew much about the community.
Most Gujaratis were seen as these constantly eating, always on a
holiday people.
This serial introduced audiences to the fact that Gujaratis are one
of the most successful and hardy communities."
Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka ended in 2002, and was one of the longest
running serials on Indian television. Then came the slew of Ektaa
Kapoor serials. She was inspired by the families of her Gujarati
friends.
"A lot of Kyunkii Saas… in its initial stages was taken from real
life," reveals Ektaa.
"Which is why I think a lot of Gujaratis identify with the serial."
After that, although several other serials too had the Gujarati
family as their backbone, none really worked.
"They were just normal, ordinary serials and could have been made
using any urban Indian family," points out television trend tracker
and critic Amita Malik. "They did not have anything particular to
say."
And now, the laugh riot Khichdi
Times change and so does the character of portrayal. From serious
family dramas to laugh riots, it's now time for the community to
laugh at itself.
The new tele-serial Khichdi, which revolves around an archetypal
Gujarati family, is drawing rave reviews and attention.
This family, unlike the Kyunkii Saas… one, is ready to laugh at
itself and its idiosyncrasies.
Supriya Pathak, who plays a hilariously dumb Gujarati woman in the
serial, says, "Instead of being offended, a lot of people have found
the character I am portraying in the serial very endearing. Several
Gujaratis tell me that they have learnt to laugh at themselves."
Director Aatish Kapadia, a veteran of several plays, recently
introduced a Christian bahu, Melissa, in the Khichdi family, thus
effectively creating absurd situations in the interaction between
people from two diverse communities.
Nari Mehta, a resident of Eksar Road who runs a garment store in
Indraprastha Shopping Centre, believes that the serial has touched on
the lighter side of the community.
"Some feel that it has gone too far, but I feel that it's time for
change. I have had enough of these family dramas where one is
scheming against the other. Now, it's time for some real fun."
Kapadia believes that Khichdi is a satire not only on one community,
but an entire society. "If people were as simple as my characters,
life would have been less complicated," he says.
"In my serial the jethani and devrani don't fight, they are very
protective of each other unlike in the other serials where they are
either bitching or fighting." He adds, "I am also rooting for change
in the community.
For instance, in one episode I showed Vandana Pathak, who's playing
the role of a widow, applying mehendi. When the relatives protest,
her entire family takes up for her."
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
Members Lounge
