The Khichdi cast: A Recap

We've seen it many times in Hollywood but it is certainly a first for Hindi television. Khichdi, the hit TV show, has been made into a film, and will be out in theatres this Friday.

The original cast will be back in the film -- Supriya Pathak, Anang Desai, J D Majethia, Rajeev Mehta, Kesar Majethia, Markand Soni and Nimisha Vakharia. It will be directed by Aatish Kapadia.

Here's a recap of the characters who made the show so popular:

Supriya Pathak as Hansa Parekh

I feel proud to be a part of the movie Khichdi because this is the first time that a television serial has been made into a film. I am glad Aatish Kapadia and producer J D Majethia came up with a film script.

My character Hansa gave me a chance to make people laugh. The couple (Hansa and Praful) was appreciated because of their sense of humour. Khichdi gave me a chance to test my comic side.

Hansa is an endearing and beautiful character (smiles). People like her the way she is. I don't think she needs to change for the movie version. But the costumes are richer than in the TV show!

There was a special screening for the members of the cast and crew. I invited my family, (husband) Pankaj Kapur and Shahid Kapoor. My children loved it. My younger son is very fond of Khichdi. He loved me in the film. Shahid and Pankaj laughed throughout and loved it too.

It was a fantastic experience. Hansa and Praful are as crazy and dumb as ever. But we got to present a good story and explore the characters better in the film. The one-liners are the same but the level of craziness has increased in the film.

Just before the shoot, we did a couple of workshops to get the accent, mannerisms and diction right. With a lot of rehearsal, everything fell into place.

My favourite line in the film is, 'Main hoon na.'

People will laugh, laugh and laugh and cry only if they don't watch the film! (smiles)

Aatish and I had been thinking about how to make a transition from TV to films. We were also thinking of making a Khichidi sequel as the fans were asking us to come back with it.

When you want to make a film, you take up a subject that would be liked by the audience. Khichdi had all the qualities of a film. The idea to make this film actually came from the public. Khichdi The Movie will now take the madness at least 10 notches ahead!

As a producer, I would get involved with the work. But when it came to direction, Aatish would take a call. We did have our share of creative differences and fights but at the end of the day, there was clarity in the work we did.

I was playing Hansa's brother in the TV show but in the film, my character has more elements. He's more dynamic and interesting. Himanshu sings and dances like a Bollywood actor. His appearance is more polished. His hairstyle has been changed to look younger.

My daughter Kesar is making her film debut as Hansa and Praful's daughter Chakki. So it holds a special place in my heart. But I don't cast anyone without holding auditions. My daughter had to audition with 12 other girls. Aatish selected her during the final round. We don't do any favoritism. But as a father, I became very emotional when she got praised for her performance.

I never dreamt that I would be a part of Khichdi The Movie. When JD told me I was selected, I wanted to scream out of excitement but couldn't, as my children were sleeping.

I used to watch the show when I was free. But after I was cast in the film, I stopped watching the show.

Replacing Vandana Malik (Jayshree) was a challenging task. I did not have to act like Vandana but I had to portray Jayshree with some of her signature lines.

Vandana had her reasons for not doing the show. We are friends, and she's happy that I'm in the film.

The other actors have lived with the characters for four years. I had to really work hard to get into the skin of the character. I am happy that I could give my best with the director's support.

People have accepted me as Jayshree. I live near a college. Whenever my car stops at a traffic signal, the students call out to me by my character's name.

The script was ready with all the characters except for Jacky and Chakki. My parents were discussing the characters, and my mother suggested that they try me out. So he told me to say bade log bade log (an important dialogue in the film.) He said I could audition only if I said those words properly and clearly.

After the audition and look test, my dad told me that I might not get the role. I was very disappointed and cried to sleep that night.

They held more auditions but nobody could get those words right. After a few days, Aatish uncle told me that I was on 99 percent, and that he had to ask my father for that one percent approval.

Rajeev uncle said that he would not do the film if I was not in it. Aatish uncle had then jokingly said that was a good opportunity to remove Rajeev uncle!

It was fantastic working with everyone but I enjoyed the most with my dad. He usually comes home after I go to bed. Since I was shooting with him, I got to spend more time with him.

I had auditioned for something else and landed up in this role. I have done many ads and serials like Kal Chakra and Pogo. This will be my debut film.

I did not miss school while shooting. The shoot was during the vacation, and ended after school re-opened. I had to miss only a couple of times.

My friends and relatives have said that expectations are very high because they liked the promos.

I have done another film after this, called Ghost Mera Dhost. It will release on October 29.

You will see me scolding Praful in the film as well! Praful toh gadha hai, so there will be fights when Babuji and Praful are together. But Babuji loves his son."

The recall value of the character in the show was so popular they had to make something bigger. It's a nice feeling when people still address me as Babuji when I go out.

All of us shared a very good rapport on and off screen; we would have lots of fun. One incident that instantly comes to my mind is that my moustache would always fall off during the most crucial scenes! All my co-stars would enjoy watching it fall and burst into laughter.

It is a character-based comedy. Although the essence of the film remains the same, the content is completely new. The style is the same but the plot and presentation are different. The film will feature gags and situations that are different from the serial.

The characters have been retained but we have added few elements to the film. There are lovely cameos from Farah Khan, Satish Shah and Deven Bhojwani. I have made a brief appearance too.

Plus, we have two songs -- one is a romantic number and the other is the title track.

We didn't replace Vandana Pathak (who played Jayshree on TV). She had opted out due to personal reasons. We have cordial relations and there is no bitterness.

I am flattered by the feedback. Pankajji (Kapur) said the pace and the humour is extraordinary while Shahid (Kapoor) said, 'You don't have to tell it's a comedy film, it is exceptionally humourous. Seventy percent of the film I was laughing and clapping'.

The TV show was a hit, so there are a lot of expectations. But we are confident that people will like it.