Khichdi (franchise)

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Khichdi franchise
Created byHats Off Productions
Original work Khichdi
Films and television
Film(s) Khichdi: The Movie (2010)
Khichdi 2: Mission Paanthukistan (2023)
Television series Khichdi
Instant Khichdi
Khichdi Returns
Miscellaneous
Years2002–present
Developed byAatish Kapadia
Jamnadas Majethia
Directed byAatish Kapadia
Deven Bhojani
Main cast Supriya Pathak
Rajeev Mehta
Anang Desai
Vandana Pathak
Jamnadas Majethia

The Khichdi franchise is a Hindi language franchise of television series and films created by Hats Off Productions and UTV Software Communications, written and directed by Aatish Kapadia. It is one of the earliest franchises on Indian Television to adopt the western model of appearing in seasons [1] and also the first Indian television series to be adapted into a Bollywood film series. [2]

Contents

The franchise began as a weekly sitcom, debuting its first season on 10 September 2002 on Star Plus. [3] The principal cast, consisting of actors Supriya Pathak, Rajeev Mehta, Anang Desai, and Vandana Pathak, was joined by Jamnadas Majethia who also served as a co-producer of the series alongside Kapadia. It was succeeded by a direct continuation called Instant Khichdi that aired on Star Plus's sister channel, Star One. [4]

In 2010, the franchise was rebooted and adapted into a full-length feature film titled Khichdi: The Movie , with most of the main cast reprising their roles from the television series. [5] 8 years later, the franchise returned with a third season (another soft reboot with the same main cast [6] ) as a prime-time weekend show on Star Plus and then on streaming platform Hotstar. [7] A direct sequel to the first film, titled Khichdi 2: Mission Paanthukistan , released in 2023. [8] [9]

Over the years, the franchise has seen several re-airings on Star Plus and its affiliated channels like Pogo, Star Utsav, Star Bharat etc [10] and has garnered a cult following.

Development

After establishing their company "Hats Off Productions" to produce plays, Jamnadas Majethia and Aatish Kapadia engaged in various projects, including their collaborations for serials like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka with Vipul Shah and Babul Ki Duwayen Leti Jaa with Shobhana Desai. [11] As they transitioned from theatre to television, they recognized a void in the television landscape at that time with dearth of comedy-centric content. [11] Aiming to fill this gap, they approached Star Plus with their proposal for a new show, inspired by the storyline of their first Gujarati Play from Hats Off Productions which was titled Ladakvaya, that led to the creation of Khichdi. [11]

Format

The first two seasons on television primarily followed an episodic format, with most plots resolving within one or two episodes. Occasionally, the show delved into subplots that spanned a few episodes and sometimes employeed flashbacks to advance the narrative. The initial episodes of the first season portrayed the trials and tribulations of a joint family and often touched an emotional cord. Subsequently, particularly in the second season, the focus shifted towards situational comedy as the characters started fitting themselves into their eccentricities.

Several new characters are introduced during the course of the television series, enriching the ensemble. With the film adaptation in 2010, the franchise took a new direction and dropped-off most of the recurring characters from the television series, focusing mainly on the principal ones.

Television series

Khichdi (2002–2004)

The series introduces the Parekhs as an eccentric Gujarati joint family living in an old mansion in Mumbai. [12]

The first season focuses on the idiosyncratic members of the family, led by the elderly Tulsidas Parekh who does not permit his family members to sell off their house and separate into nuclear families. Later, the Parekhs move into a much larger house left behind by a deceased aunt of Tulsidas. In the last episode, Parekhs become overnight millionaires when they discover oil in their older property.

Instant Khichdi (2004–2005)

The second season focused on the Parekhs as they try to settle themselves into higher society with their new-found wealth (in the first season). [13] They live on in their own eccentric way, trying to ace the lives of the super-rich.

Khichdi Returns (2018)

The third season presents a rebooted story-line, as Parekhs gets stuck after the builder escapes in between the construction of their apartment and some people threaten them to kill until they do not return the money taken in exchange of apartments. [6] [14]

Films

Jamnadas Majethia with Narendra Modi, at the screening of Khichdi: The Movie in 2010. Majethia and Modi.jpg
Jamnadas Majethia with Narendra Modi, at the screening of Khichdi: The Movie in 2010.

Khichdi: The Movie (2010)

A film based on the series, titled Khichdi: The Movie , was released on 1 October 2010 starring most of the same principal cast. In the film, Parekhs deal with the murder mystery of their neighbor Chakku Singh.

Khichdi 2: Mission Paanthukistan (2023)

In the sequel, the Parekhs are sent on a covert operation to a country called "Paanthukistan" to abduct the tyrannical king and free an Indian nuclear scientist held captive to construct a weapon of mass destruction. [9]

Crossovers

Cast and characters

CharacterTV seriesFilms
Khichdi
(2002–2004)
Instant Khichdi
(2004–2005)
Khichdi Returns
(2018)
Khichdi: The Movie
(2010)
Khichdi 2: Mission Paanthukistan
(2023)
Main
Hansa Parekh Supriya Pathak
Praful Parekh Rajeev Mehta [lower-alpha 1]
Tulsidas Parekh ("Babuji") Anang Desai
Jayshree Parekh Vandana Pathak Nimisha Vakharia [lower-alpha 2] Vandana Pathak
Himanshu Seth [lower-alpha 3] Jamnadas Majethia
Parminder Singh-Seth [lower-alpha 4] Anokhi Srivastava Sameksha Singh Kirti Kulhari
Recurring
Chakki Parekh Richa Bhadra Mishri Majethia Kesar Majethia Shivika Rishi
Jacky ParekhYash MittalAgastya KapadiaMarkand SoniArisht Jain
Dheeman
and various characters
Deepesh Shah
Tiwariben Parekh ("Badi Ma") Dina Pathak /
Lily Patel
Lily Patel
Mira Parekh Ami Trivedi Ami Trivedi
(archived footage)
Raju Parekh Amit Varma
Melissa Parekh Tina Parekh
Bhavesh Kumar Kamlesh Oza
Heera Parekh Arya Rawal
MadhuriSweety Nayak
Mr. Mehta Dinyar Contractor Dinyar Contractor [lower-alpha 5]
Rekha Teacher Vipra Rawal
SagunaNaini ShahFalguni Rajani
Jayantilal / Chandrakant Seth Arvind Vaidya Arvind Vaidya
Hemlata Seth Rita Bhaduri
Jagdamba MaamiKalpana DiwanKalpana Diwan
(photo, archived footage)
Parminder Singh Gireesh Sahedev Balvinder Singh SuriGireesh Sahedev
Bhabhi ParminderSeema PandeyAnuradha VermaRuby
Bhai Parminder Daman Baggan Nitin Handa
Jignesh
and various characters
Aatish Kapadia
Rambha Kishwar Merchant
Sadhvi Sandhya Devi Smita Singh
SavitriAanchal Dwiwedi
Peter D'Souza Bakhtiyaar Irani
Mrs. D'Souza Melissa Pais
Tony Farhad Shahnawaz
Advocate
and various characters
Paresh Ganatra
Farah Khan Farah Khan [lower-alpha 6]
KushalAnant Vidhaat Sharma
  1. Rajeev Mehta also portrays the character of Tulsidas's deceased wife, Damyanti Parekh, occasionally in the series.
  2. Nimisha Vakharia replaced Vandana Pathak in the 2010 film due to Pathak's unavailability. Vakharia had earlier appeared in a guest role in season one.
  3. Himanshu's character is introduced midway through the first season and later becomes one of the main characters in the franchise. [17]
  4. Parminder's character appears intermittently in the franchise as Himanshu's love interest or wife, occasionally taking on a more prominent role, especially noticeable in the films.
  5. Dinyar Contractor appears in a brief role in the 2010 film as the Courtroom Judge.
  6. Bollywood filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan plays a fictional version of herself in the film series.

Reception

"The essence of comedy is to surprise people with as many unusual things as possible & make their eyes go wide in amazement."

— Jamnadas Majethia in 2004, on the success of the first season. [11]

The first season consistently ranked among the top family-oriented shows on Star Plus till its last episode in July 2004. [6]

The 2010 film initially performed below expectations at the Box Office and was declared "Below Average" but it ultimately recovered its costs and yielded decent profits. [18] The sequel, released in 2023, received mixed critical response. [9]

Awards and nominations

Khichdi

Indian Television Academy Awards

Winner

Indian Telly Awards

Winner

  • 2003: TV Actor in a Comic Role (Female)Supriya Pathak as Hansa [20]
  • 2004: BEST Actor in a Comic Role (Male) – Rajeev Mehta as Praful [21]
  • 2004: Sitcom Writer of the Year – Aatish Kapadia [22]

Nominated

  • 2003: TV Child Artiste of the Year – Yash Mittal as Jacky [23]
  • 2004: The TV Sitcom / Comedy programme of the Year [24]
  • 2004: Lyricist of the Year – Aatish Kapadia
  • 2004: Music Director of the YearUttank Vora
  • 2004: Director of the Year (Sitcom) – Aatish Kapadia
  • 2004: Child Artiste of the Year (Female) – Richa Bhadra as Chakki
  • 2004: Child Artiste of the Year (Male) – Yash Mittal as Jacky
  • 2004: Actor in a Comic Role (Male) – Rajeev Mehta as Praful
  • 2004: Actor in a Comic Role (Male) – Anang Desai as Tulsidas Parekh
  • 2004: Actor in a Comic Role (Female)Supriya Pathak as Hansa
  • 2004: Actor in a Comic Role (Female)Vandana Pathak as Jayshree
  • 2004: Ensemble (complete star cast of a programme)
  • 2004: The Weekly Serial of the year
  • 2004: Scriptwriter of the year – Aatish Kapadia

Instant Khichdi

Indian Telly Awards

Winner

  • 2005: Best Actor in a Comic Role ( Female )Supriya Pathak as Hansa [25]
  • 2005: Best Child Artiste (Male) – Yash Mittal as Jacky

Nominated

  • 2005: Best Sitcom / Comedy Writer – Aatish Kapadia [26]
  • 2005: Best Actor in a Comic Role (Female) – Vandana Pathak as Jayshree [27]
  • 2005: Best Actor in Comic Role (Male) – Rajeev Mehta as Praful
  • 2005: Best Sitcom/Comedy Programme

Khichdi: The Movie

6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards
2011 Zee Cine Awards
2011 Filmfare Awards

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