The Coronavirus has confined every citizen to their respective homes. Amidst the lockdown by PM Narendra Modi, several iconic shows on Doordarshan have returned on television to everyone’s delight, including Mahabharata, Ramayan, and Dekh Bhai Dekh.
On 1st April, Doordarshan National tweeted announcing that the extremely popular television show- Dekh Bhai Dekh was going to be available on television. Urvashi Dholakia, who made her debut on screen with the show as Shilpa, reminiscences of bygone days of shooting the show.
Although Urvashi is delighted for the show to be aired again, the actress wishes it would have been remade keeping the same star cast intact. She also reveals how several trials and errors were done for the remake but nothing materialized. Speaking of the rerun, Urvashi said, “I am excited that millennials will get to see such an iconic show which has been a trend-setter in the industry. It was the first show to be shot in a multi-cam setup. I am happy that all these shows are being telecast because today’s generation is getting to know how television was so good even at that time and has evolved. It was a huge production, with Jaya Ji producing it and Anand Mahendru directing it. I feel privileged that I was part of it.”
Juggling between school & shoot, Urvashi made her debut with the show when she was merely 15. “I used to finish school by 1-1:15 in the afternoon and then travel to R.K Studios in Chembur in my school uniform. The crew would wait patiently. The whole cast and crew were like one big family, off-screen also, I used to be the quiet one as I entered the show little late but they all were very welcoming towards me” shared Urvashi.
Speaking of the show and her character, Urvasi said, “Though I entered late in the show, funnily my character was discussed from the very first episode. For my casting, Anand sir called me in his office and made me read some random lines and the next day I started shooting. This show was and is an all-time favorite for many because it catered to all age groups from 6 years to 60 years. We were the teens, then we had people in the 30s also. So, everyone watching the show could relate to it. Working with actors like Sushma, Naveen, Bhavna, Shekhar Suman was an outstanding experience.”