JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, known for iconic shows like Khichdi and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, have released their new show Chumbak on Netflix. The family entertainer follows neighbours who come together to solve each other’s problems, have some fun along the way and, most importantly, make audiences laugh with their antics.
Because we have a group of five friends, jD: It was also somewhat personal. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, the producer-director duo spoke about how the idea for Chumbak came about. They also opened up about the controversies surrounding Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent and why family entertainers are back in demand. Moreover, Aatish and I lived in the same building for many years. We shared life in such a way—for example, alcohol wasn’t consumed at my house for many years, so whenever there was a dinner party, guests would have drinks at Aatish’s house first before coming over to mine. We experienced that neighborhood closeness and friendship together, so we felt that we could bring everything together and create a show called Chumbak. Aatish: Life is miserable for everybody —whether the maid doesn’t show up, the driver bumps the car, or a child is late for school. But you don’t have to become miserable yourself; you just change the lens. Personally, I have faced a lot of problems in life. But instead of moping over my own struggles, I laughed at them. When you apply that lens, you find humour in hardships. In Chumbak, all the characters have problems, but have turned it around into warmth, humour, and hidden love. This show is made as an antidote to deal with real-life problems. It serves as a soothing balm for audiences’ headaches. Aatish: The common thread among all three is discipline and total commitment to their characters. She never forgot anything. But she believed it. She also suggested that her character shouldn’t speak in complete sentences every time, which influenced how we wrote her dialogues. Supriya Pathak never dolled up for any of her roles. She was the Shyam Benegal actor. And we mad her Hansa, who would just dress up and do nothing. She effortlessly transformed into her Hansa. Her persona changed as soon as she would put on her costume and gajra. All these three actors become those people. They don’t have an alternate. Aatish: There is also a cultural resurgence where audiences want to reconnect with their roots and heritage. We have not exploited the kind of people India has produced, the stories we have had. Now, Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana will come. So, there is a cultural resurgence of sorts.
For instance, Neena ji said that she didn’t bring her expertise to this show as she wanted to completely immersed herself into this world. Ratna Pathak Shah read the script of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and said, “Oh my god, this is middle-class bashing. I told her she has to be a little bit hoity-toity, and not in a superficial way; you have to mean it, and she got it. When Ranbir said, “I will bring Sita back,” I was like I am going to watch this film.
