India’s Favourite Bhabhi!

The television serials are prime source of entertainment in India barring metropolitan cities. Though the advent of OTT, TV is still watched in most of the houses in India. Indian midsize cities, towns and villages rely on television for their quota of entertainment. And many Hindi serials are faithfully followed in majority of homes despite the invasion of smart phones and digital platforms. One such show which ranks among the largest running Indian comedy sitcoms is #BhabijiGharParHai. All the characters, #VibhutiMishra, #ManmohanTiwari, #AnitaBhabhi and #AngooriBhabhi are most loved by the viewers. Angoori Bhabhi is the audience favourite, and is liked by the likes of Pt Jasraj, legendary Asha Bhosle and other luminaries. Angoori Bhabhi is portrayed by a beautiful actress #ShubhangiAtre. At the completion of 2000 episodes celebrations of BGPH our Sr Editor Keerti Kadam interacted with Shubhangi Atre.

Your serial Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai has completed 2000 episodes. How is the feeling?
It’s a beautiful and surreal feeling. I feel fortunate to have associated with such a popular show and we are still going strong. It’s a double celebration as BGPH completes 2000 episodes and the serial is entering the ninth year. Actually I joined the show after Shilpa Shinde, who was reprising Angoori Bhabhi’s role, bid adieu to the show. I was chosen to play Angoori Bhabhi. Actually earlier during Chidiya Ghar too I had replaced her after she left the show midway. But having said that Shilpa was the part of BGPH for about 8-9 months and I am playing this character for more that 15 months. So now I am the senior Angoori Bhabhi (smiles). I definitely have put in a lot of hard work to become Angoori Bhabhi and I am glad the audiences accepted me whole heartedly. Though replacing was challenging, I could manage to sail through because of the support of my director and co-actors. I am thankful to the viewers and guarantee them they’ll see me doing good work and I’ll never disappoint their faith in me because this show has given me everything beyond my expectations. Not to forget the writers. They infuse so much drama that viewers are glued to the television sets. Talking about Angoori’s character, it’s so well etched out and written with passion that any other actor would have performed Angoori successfully.

What have you gained from BGPH and Angoori Bhabhi?
Angoori gave me respect. In fact it fetched respect for my entire family. Because Angoori is famous, Shubhangi is famous and because Shubhangi is famous her entire family is famous. I am in this industry for the last 17 years and have done quite a few roles in big serials. But Angoori Bhabhi changed my life for better. Our serial is a family serial but it entertains through comedy. The title sounds slightly adult but it’s content is not. It has slice of life characters and healthy flirting is harmless. The two male characters like each other’s wives mainly because of the human psychology, grass is greener on the other side. Vibhuti Narayan Mishra’s wife is modern but he likes a desi lady like Angoori. Similarly Manmohan Tiwari, who is Angoori’s husband, fancies modern looking Anita Bhabhi, who is Vibhuti’s wife. So it’s like opposites attract. But never in our serial we have promoted extra marital affair. Whatever happens is within the societal limits and both the male characters have never gone overboard. In real life too almost every male or female when comes across a beautiful personality, he or she will admire and move on.

Shubhangi Atre hails from Indore and has an MBA degree (Master of Business Administration). She debuted television industry with Ekta Kapoor’s Kausauti Zindagi Kay. In Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Kasturi’ Shubhangi played a titular role and won many awards. Then she was part of Do Hanson Ka Jodaa which too did well. She played a negative character in Havan and later she got a call to play Angoori Bhabhi in Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai. Till date she is portraying that character and the audiences just love her. She maintains that this show was a game changer for her. She is loved by the audience for her comic timing and on-screen chemistry with Aasif Sheikh. Whenever someone says something correct, she automatically says ‘Sahi Pakade Hain’ whether she is at home or with friends. Though her professional life in hunky dory, the personal front was not. After 19 years of marriage Shubhangi Atre separated from her husband Piyush Poorey. They have a 18 year old daughter.

Why do you think, this serial is immensely popular?
The writing is good and the director has avoided slapstick or loud comedy. The characters are relatable and the lingo connects with the audiences quickly. The language used in this serial has some sweet lyrical sound to it and we use slangs too which are instant hits. A lot of memes too are doing rounds. Take for instance my dialogue ‘Sahi Pakde Hain’, though it is not flashy, it connects with the viewers and the the innocence of the character comes forth. The healthy flirting is enjoyed by many. The characters are not caricaturists. This serial has brought back ‘lost’ words in the usage and the latent vocabulary of the viewers has gotten activated. The concept, writing, characterisation and performances make the show BGPH what it is and definitely the outcome is outstanding as the serial has crossed 2000 episodes. Everybody on the sets are proactive and there’s no rivalry between them.

While playing Angoori Bhabhi I took reference from my mother. She is a housewife and her entire world revolves around my father. I have observed her in the kitchen and for that matter I have perceived my Dadi too. They were my reference points. Earlier I had watched Ex Chief Minister of Bihar, Rabri Devi’s interview. Her simplicity and innocence was admirable and that too is my reference point (Laughs). Angoori Bhabhi is sweet, innocent, bubbly and an earthen beauty. She has no filters. Most of the husbands prefer this kind of wife. Less smarter wives who are not opinionated are preferred so that they can indulge in some healthy mischief without chastisement.

When I reached sets of BGPH, on the very first day, the director told me that, be yourself, forget about comedy etc., whatever you do, do it with conviction. I am following that principle till today. I am from MP, so I never had a problem with the language or the diction. I want to confess here that I have an inherent talent with languages. I can grasp any language and it’s accent quickly and effectively. Of course I too have put in a lot of efforts to bring authenticity to Angoori Bhabhi’s character. Earlier ‘tears’ were ‘TRPs’. Most of the actresses were told to cry incessantly on screen. Gone are those days and Saas-Bahu serials. In our serial Angoori and her mother in law share a beautiful bond. Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai is a beyond TRP show.

Shubhangi Atre will soon be seen in a music video too.