Some Good Old Shows: Part 1: Ghar Jamai

If you want to know, where does the concept of “Two States” come from? you must go back to the 90’s Era and watch this beautifully presented sitcom “Ghar Jamai” Where you will see R Madhavan and Mandira Bedi in lead roles along with Satish Shah, Sadhana Singh, Greci Singh, and Anand Goradia in supporting roles. Let’s deep dive into the 90’s era where content had the quality, it was relatable and the common man can easily connect with these sitcoms. Let’s talk about “Ghar Jamai” today.

So it is a love story of Chandani Mehra and Malayatoor Subramaniam Namboodiripad aka Subu. Where Chandani is hardcore Punjabi and Subu is Malayalam Brahmin. Chandani’s father Satish Shah aka Mr. Mehra wanted his daughter to get married to a Punjabi but he had to say yes to Subu and Chandani’s wedding with one condition that Subu will become a “Ghar Jamai”. Subu agrees as it is a tradition in his family, and here the fun begins.

Directed by Ananth Mahadevan and produced by Dinesh Bansal “Ghar Jamai” was top on the TRP list in its time. It ran on Zee Tv from 1997 to 1998. Viewers used to wait for this show, as the work done by R Madhavan and Mandira Bedi was just commendable. So even before you know Maddy from RHTDM he made his way to the viewer’s hearts from this show which was one of its kind and was a big hit.

The entire story revolves around Mr. Mehra and Subu. Mr. Mehra hates Subu and makes plans to cut him off from the family however this relationship is a love-hate relationship and they are always at loggerheads, and Subu always manages to foil Mehra’s plans. More than Mandira and Madhvan’s chemistry, people loved the chemistry between Satish Shah and R Madhvan. A unique combination of Father-in-law and Son-in-law.

In September 2011, Ananth Mahadevan announced plans of making a feature film on Ghar Jamai, starring R Madhavan in the lead role. However, the film never saw the light of day.

This series was much loved in every household. And the best part is you can still watch this series on Youtube for free, also on Zee 5. Some old memories are always great to cherish because they refresh you and make you feel those childhood moments again, Ghar Jamai is one of such shows that will surely bring a smile to your face.

- Niharika Pole Sarwate