Sumans to work in Dekh Bhai Dekh

Several hit foreign TV shows have been made into films in the past. But the same will happen in India for the first time. Anand Mahendroo plans to turn his laugh riot Dekh Bhai Dekh into a big-budget film.

Ask Anand why he thought of adapting his 90s serial into a film now, and he says, “It’s been 15 years since Dekh Bhai Dekh went off air. And I have been given tantalising offers since then. But I didn’t want to do it till Mudra, an agency researched and brought me a 32-page report three months ago.

The report had contacted 10,000 people in seven states and 100 per cent of the sample knew of Dekh Bhai Dekh and 92 per cent wanted to see it as a movie or a TV serial. They also gave me other facts like eight communities being dedicated to Dekh Bhai Dekh on Orkut, each with 1500 people discussing topics like ‘Who is your favourite character from the serial?’. What brand recall!”

Hence, the decision was made — this film will be made with the same starcast. But why cast Adhyayan in the role of Shekhar Suman’s character’s son in the film then? Anand reasons, “The six-year-old kid who played Shekhar’s son in the show is now a six-feet-tall, good-looking Shiamak Davar-trained dancer. I had planned to cast him for the role he played in the show, but he is making his debut with the Shahid Kapur-starrer Paathshala and is also doing a romantic thriller with me. Hence we mutually decided that Adhyayan suited the role.” Anand will also be looking for a 17-year-old girl to be cast as Adhyayan’s love interest in the film, through a reality show to be presented by Shekhar.

Adhyayan says, “I want to become an army officer in the film.”