Actor Bhavana Balsavar, who played Sunita Deewan in the 1990s sitcom Dekh Bhai Dekh, recently spoke about her experience of working on the popular show and recalled how producer Jaya Bachchan ensured that the cast remained unaffected by the financial troubles faced by the Bachchan family.
Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), founded by Amitabh Bachchan , was associated with the show, and it faced financial difficulties in the late 1990s. Bhavana recalled that Jaya never let the cast feel the pressure of the situation. Bhavana praised Jaya ‘s professionalism, noting that despite the financial difficulties, she never compromised the show’s production values or let the cast feel that anything was wrong. She further shared that despite the difficult circumstances, Jaya would regularly interact with the cast and laugh with them on set. Jaya ji would come to the set, and we would laugh and joke with her. They never let us feel that anything was wrong. As artists, we understand that if we learn about such problems, they could affect our performances. That is how professional and wonderful they were as producers,” she recalled. The show featured an ensemble cast led by Shekhar Suman, Farida Jalal, Navin Nischol, Sushma Seth, N K Shivpuri and Bhavana Balsavar. Deven Bhojani, Vishal Singh, Natasha Singh, Amar Upadhyay and Urvashi Dholakia were also part of the cast.
Bhavana said, “Yes, we used to hear about the problems, but you would never see them on their faces.
Dekh Bhai Dekh premiered on DD Metro on May 6, 1993, and became one of the most loved family sitcoms of the 1990s. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Bhavana recalled, “They were such professionals and so brilliant. Jaya ji never let us feel that there were any problems. You should have seen the scale of the show — the set, the multi-camera setup and the amount of work we put in. That set was like a house; we could practically live there. It was so beautifully made and lavish. During the interaction, Bhavana also spoke about how the show was generating revenue for its producers. Despite the financial difficulties the family was facing, they did not allow the situation to affect its production or quality. Directed by Aanand Mahendroo, the show revolved around three generations of the Diwan family, who lived together in an ancestral bungalow in Mumbai.
At the time, it was quite unprecedented to have such a huge standing set with a multi-camera setup, two floors, staircases and so many rooms,” she said. She said that, unlike producers who might use profits from one show to pay off debts, Jaya and Amitabh reinvested the money in the show itself.
