Would be the happiest to see 'Flop Show' back on TV: Savita Bhatti

With Doordarshan turning to its late 1980s library and bringing back famous serials "Ramayan", "Mahabharat" and "Shaktimaan" amid the coronavirus lockdown, veteran actor-producer Savita Bhatti says she would love to see "Flop Show", the beloved satirical sitcom, return to the small screen as well.

After the national broadcaster announced the re-runs of its iconic old shows, many on social media urged the broadcaster to bring back the serial, created and directed by Savita Bhatti's co-star and late husband, satirist Jaspal Bhatti. "Flop Show", which aired in 1989 on DD National, was a simple yet tongue-in-cheek commentary about the problems faced by the common people.

"I watch the show on YouTube sometimes to see Jaspal ji alive. I come across comments from people who have watched the show recently. I feel happy that there are so many of them in the current generation who don't know about him and still know the kind of vision he had, which stands unparalleled still today. I would really be the happiest to see 'Flop Show' on TV again," Savita Bhatti told PTI in an interview.

"On a personal level, I would love to see a younger, prettier version of myself again. It is so close to my heart and something that is a part of my identity. I'm truly privileged to have been a part of the show," the actor, who played Jaspal Bhatti's wife in the weekly serial, added. Jaspal Bhatti died in a car accident on October 25, 2012.

Savita Bhatti said while her husband was alive, he tried to get the rights to their show from the broadcaster without success. "We have no royalty on this. The rights were with Doordarshan. When Jaspal ji was alive, he tried a lot to obtain rights from the network. But surprisingly they didn't encourage it at at all. We found out that they had sold it to Eagle Films Pvt Ltd. If they had to give the rights away, they should have at least kept him in the loop. Now, I don't know whether it is still valid."

Savita Bhatti said the popular demand of the serial even after three decades is a reflection that "Flop Show" has stood the test of time. "A lot depends on the kind of person the show's creator is. Jaspal ji was one of the very few humorists who could make fun of himself. These days you see comics poke fun at other people. That was the case even in his other show 'Ulta Pulta' and the film 'Mahaul Theek Hai'. 

"That's a very big lesson that if you're criticising a system, you're also part of it. Just because I'm talking about it doesn't mean I am on a pedestal and I can say anything I want. I'm also responsible for the corruption, I am also 100 per cent guilty if somebody else is so," she said. The actor rued about the comedy scene in the country, which is more about masqueraders. 

"The kind of humour you see these days is degrading. You are making fun of people's body types and appearances or you're dressing up as women. You are behaving like masqueraders. "People remember 'Flop Show' fondly because it had a simplicity, and truth. The vision was truthful... he was not cultivating it for a platform. There were no trappings of an image or what's the trend. He used to be more worried about the content," she said.

Asked why there were only a few people attempting satires today, Savita Bhatti said times have changed and people tend to take offence easily. "I believe writers and comics are intelligent. They probably don't want to go into those areas, there are some like Kunal Kamra and Varun Grover who still do it. It has also become about catering to a select audience. But Jaspal ji was able to cut through all boundaries -- age, time, class, region, etc. From an eight-year-old child to an 80-year-old person, everyone could understand what he was trying to say," she said. 

"People came to meet us when he passed away saying whenever they were unsure about any issue, political or otherwise, they would wait for Jaspal ji to explain it through his Nonsense Club, which he used to hold in Chandigarh Sector 17. Jaspal ji had a social conscience. I feel the humorists are hiding somewhere because the times are different. Anyone and everyone takes offence at the drop of a hat." There are several memories related to "Flop Show" but what she remembers the most is how a group of greenhorns went on to become a family and create one of the best shows in the history of Indian television.

The team -- which had fellow comics the late Vivek Shauq and Rajesh Jolly and a rotating cast -- faced a lot of problems.

"Except Jaspal ji and Vivek, most of us were amateurs in the production. One has to give him credit that he didn't shoot in Delhi or Bombay. We faced technical difficulties, some times the camera would break and everyone had to wait for days for somebody to go and get a replacement from Delhi. Things were often out of control and he was also finding a style. He was a perfectionist, so sometimes the shoot would go on for two-four days."

Most of the shoots were held at Savita Bhatti's in-laws' house in Ropar, where they wrote scripts by hand, which she still has. "As we were untrained, there were lots of rehearsals. The entire team would sit in a circle with tea and samosas or kachoris, and some sweet. It was about being part of something that unites us. The whole experience was very enjoyable. Jaspal ji encouraged everyone to pursue the art. Everyone in this serial became famous in their own way," she added.

Savita Bhatti still remembers how Jaspal Bhatti bought dinner for the team just before the first episode of "Flop Show" was about to air at 9 pm. "All of us sat in front of the TV. When the show started, everyone screamed and yelled. Then every Friday, he would take a round of Chandigarh around 8.45 pm to check how many people were on the road instead of watching the show."

The title of the show, along with its opening sequence true to its essence, had a deeper meaning. "Once a journalist asked him, why was it called 'Flop Show'. To this, Jaspal ji replied, 'For a common man, their life is a flop show'. It was a revelation even for me," she added.