Idhar Udhar

Transcript

Welcome to another episode of OTTplay Lost and Found, one podcast that talks about critically acclaimed films and shows but lesser-known. I'm your host Nikhil.

There are shows that survive the test of time and there are those that transport us to a time and there are those that qualify on both counts.

Today’s Lost and Found, the 1985 Doordarshan sitcom Idhar Udhar is surely one such show. Starring sisters Ratna Pathak Shah and Supriya Pathak Shah along with Ravi Baswani and Lilliput, this comedy of errors is a hat-tip to Three’s Company, the wildly popular American sitcom about two single women and a man who cohabit while sharing a platonic relationship and the series of hilarious misadventures that follow.

And the desi version, Idhar Udhar is only a bit localized.

The tone and exchanges may seem a bit over the top today but do consider that this show was produced in 1985 and before dismissing it altogether. The situational comedy, however, is on point and Baswani’s one-liners and silly shenanigans are a riot. But what really stands out is the remarkable chemistry the Shah sisters share onscreen as close friends Sunita and Poonam. The former plays an air hostess and a bimbo and the latter’s a copywriter with an advertising firm, complete with thoughtful eyes peeping out of heavy-set glasses. Injecting stereotypes in television writing was not the exception but the norm at the time and was often even exaggerated for comic relief. But if you’re willing to look beyond this, Idhar Udhar offers a peek into the simple turns and thwacks that will encourage you to break into a chuckle or three.

You can watch Idhar Udhar on YouTube.

Well, that's the OTTplay Lost and Found episode for today, until the next podcast it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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