Watching the comedy serial Everybody Loves Raymond would make several of us wonder as to why it was not first made in India. The reason being the depiction of the balancing act by a married man between the two women in his life — mother and wife — is a ubiquitous phenomenon in our country. The tug of war is experienced by most married men and enjoyed by his bachelor friends from the sidelines.
Probably taking a cue from this, Star Plus this week launched its new soap opera Sumit Sambhal Lega , a Hindi adaptation of the original series. It brings some of the finest actors in the industry together including Namit Das (as Sumit), Manasi Parekh Gohil (Sumit’s wife) and Vikram Kochar (Sumit’s brother) among others. Adding weight to the cast are the veteran artists Satish Kaushik and Bharati Achrekar who play the roles of Sumit’s father and mother –– all part of the Delhi-based Walia family.
Starting August 31, the 108-episode show will see three persons wielding the megaphone, namely Shashant Shah (director of Dasvidanya and Chalo Dilli ), comedian Deven Bhojani and Parmeet Sethi. Done with the aim to add variety to the show adequate care has been taken to ensure uniformity in the presentation.
This was under the guidance of Steve Skrovan, the writer and co-producer of the original series. Steve oversaw the entire creative process and conducted workshops to make sure that Sumit Sambhal Lega stayed true to its nature and retained the essence of the original.
Shashant says, “The adjustments a person makes after the advent of his wife, the second woman in life, besides his mother, is a universal concept and theme which will be relatable to the Indian audience.” He quips, that “the husband’s trial and tribulations are bound to make the viewers laugh.” Agreeing with Shashant, Kaushik adds, “The fact that a man is the focus of the show will attract the audience which usually gets to see women-centric serials.”
Besides the directors Deeya Singh, producer pointed out the emphasis laid on writing while creating this sitcom. This was done by introducing a writer’s room –– headed by script consultant Rajesh Devraj. It brought together a number of writers to brainstorm and share ideas in order to create compelling episodes.
Arshad Sayyed, Sumit Roy and Chirag Mahabal are some of those involved in adapting Everybody Loves Raymond to the Indian sensibilities and sensitivities.
After a rather long and at times boring stand-up act by Rajeev Thakur, the five lead actors were presented to the audience standing in a boxing ring thus bringing to fore the sparring which goes on between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law with of course Sumit playing the referee and getting boxed from either ends. A brief exchange of banter –– punch lines and not punches –– between the two women gave a taste of the things to come which on the face of it seem pleasing without being vulgar.
Later Kaushik donning the role of the “head of the family” shared hilarious details about the characters in his inimitable style.
Going by the promos and the event, the television audience will get to see comedy in the real sense of the word on the lines of Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Wagle Ki Duniya .
