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Archana on Shrimaan Shrimati’s return to TV: Good humour has survived the test of time
Actor Archana Puran Singh talks about the rerun of her iconic show Shrimaan Shrimati (1994), and down the memory lane to share how the show has received loved from different generations. She also recalls her shooting days, and the camaraderie between the star cast.
Actor Archana Puran Singh lauds the ‘quality of humour’ her iconic sitcom Shrimaan Shrimati (1994) was able to bring forth. “Memorable” and “magical” is how Singh fondly describes it now, when it has returned to Doordarshan, among a host of other shows amid the Covid-19 lockdown. The cult comedy had Singh along with actors such as Rakesh Bedi, late Jatin Kanakia, and late Reema Lagoo.
“At that time, the choices were so limited. When we made these shows, we had no idea that they will become iconic. We just got together and did our best! These were weekly shows. And today is the day of daily shows. We were able to maintain the quality of humour as we were shooting just four to eight days a month. Sometimes, I would come in the morning and leave by 2 o’clock,” says Singh.
The actor, who is presently seen in The Kapil Sharma Show, remembers Shrimaan Shrimati with much fondness, and feels kicked thinking about the show’s “vibe and atmosphere” till date. She adds, “Most of my scenes were with Rakesh and Jatin. There wasn’t any scope of any competition. There wasn’t even an ounce of negativity. There was only collaboration, and cooperation. Rakesh is a brilliant co-star. I just adore him. He is one of the best comic actors in India! None of us were playing pranks on each other as there was no time. We used to shoot very fast. Shooting was done at a bungalow in Juhu. And, there was no air conditioned environment to shoot in then.”
Singh also reminisces how the actors had a ball, right from working on improvisations to developing the tonality of characters. “I remember shooting the pilot, and Rakesh and I improvised. My name was Shalini and his name was Dil. When we started shooting, I called him ‘Dil’, and he responded by calling me ‘Doll’. There were a lot of contributions from the actors. There was no other character that was based on a Bollywood actress in the industry. We created characters as we went along. There were a lot of lines to learn, and no teleprompters in those days,” she says.
But, the show achieved great heights because Singh feels that good writing always survives the test of time. Singh adds, “So many fans have messaged me on Instagram saying they still watch Shrimaan Shrimati on YouTube. They are the new generation. My son was watching a scene from the show on YouTube the other day; he was amazed and said ‘Mom this is genuinely so funny’. And he said that ‘If this was on air today as a series, I would love to watch it’... Because of the lockdown, our timings have changed. I wasn’t able to catch it earlier, but from now on every day 4 to 5, I’m definitely watching it.”
“I’m extremely happy that a show whose humour has survived till date is finally going to be seen by the generation which is in many ways is starved of genuinely funny and well-written humorous shows today. Even though it was made three decades ago, it has survived the test of time and [has therefore been] reconsidered,” says Singh.
Author tweets @nainaarora8
