"Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Didn't Work At First": Chumbak Star Helly Shah On Why Such Shows 'Need Time'

Jamnadas JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, as creators, have always had the most fun journey to success. Fans can never really put into words how their best production, Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, became a part of family conversations and dinner-table discussions long after it was released in 2004.

Considered too ahead of its time, with its fast-paced, English-influenced humour, low TRPs led to the television show being pulled off air after 70-80 episodes. It resurrected itself in 2007 and earned the title of a cult classic. The core Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai cast, featuring Satish Shah as Indravadan Sarabhai, Ratna Pathak Shah as Maya Sarabhai, Sumeet Raghavan as Sahil Sarabhai, Rupali Ganguly as Monisha Sarabhai, Rajesh Kumar as Rosesh Sarabhai and Deven Bhojani as Dushyant Painter, have since become an inseparable part of Indian households.

It was exactly the kind of nostalgia that led viewers to watch Netflix's recently released comedy series, Chumbak. The acclaimed duo, Jamnadas JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, returned with another round of squealing laughter and a number of chaotic families in the midst.

Telling the stories of five quirky families and their interconnected lives, the series is set in Mumbai's fictional Chumbak Colony, where everyone resides close to one another and is mostly available at each other's beck and call.

One of the standout performances was by actor Helly Shah, who has carved a niche for herself and earned immense fame and praise in the world of television. Lately, however, she seems to have been killing it in the OTT space too. Just after gaining recognition for her role as dentist Dr Preeti Singh in Gullak Season 4, she played a polar opposite character as the ditzy Twinkle Oberoi in Chumbak - and aced the role.

Absolutely obsessed with herself and unaware of what is right in front of her eyes - like her husband, Dr Micky Oberoi, played by Arjun Bijlani, flirting with every woman behind her back - Twinkle Oberoi is equal parts hilarious and innocent.

The compliments have been pouring in. In a conversation with NDTV, Helly Shah shares what the love means to her. She also reacts to comparisons being made with Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, considering it has the same makers, some of the same actors and a similar treatment.

On Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Comparisons

Helly Shah reacts to the parallels being drawn between Chumbak and Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai with a simple perspective: humour is subjective.

She says, "I feel humour is very subjective. Humour is that one genre that takes a lot of time to build and grow on people. Everybody's taste in humour is so different and varied. Compared to previous times, people are always ready to criticise and just be critical. They're ready to be critical of anything and everything. I feel you definitely need to give a project, especially something like Chumbak, time."

She continues, "And if we actually go back in time and talk about Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, when it first aired, it was not received very well. It didn't work at all. It was only years after it aired that people started praising it, and now it's one of the most cult shows.

"Yes, I personally feel - and I think not just me, but all of us as a team, including JD sir and Aatish sir - that humour is very subjective. So, the ratio will be 80:20. Some people might not enjoy it. To all those people who say, 'Nahi, humne one episode dekha, nahi maza aaya,' I definitely want to tell them that you really need to give shows like these time."

The actress expresses gratitude for the compliments that have been pouring in ever since the first eight episodes of Chumbak dropped.

"'We love watching it and we're waiting for the next eight episodes.' I think this is what we intended to do. This was our intention: that the entire family sits together, eats together, watches it and just remembers the show before rewatching it," shares Helly Shah.

On The Crazy Chumbak Cast And An 'Unfiltered' Neena Gupta

One of the most fun cast members to have on Chumbak is Neena Gupta, who has quite the fan-following, courtesy of her unabashed and unfiltered approach to life. Many of her interviews go viral because of the way she looks at life. She is progressive and honest about her views, earning widespread admiration from people of all age groups.

Helly Shah says she's exactly like that at all times.

"But she is just like that. Whatever we've seen in interviews or any kind of clips, I think she's just that in real life. And I feel that's so cool," shares Helly Shah.

On Swaragini Breakthrough And Taste of Stardom

Helly Shah has been facing the arc lights since the tender age of 14, making her television debut in the show Zindagi Ka Har Rang... Gulaal. However, it was in 2015 that she had her first breakthrough as Swara Bose in the hit television series Swaragini - Jodein Rishton Ke Sur. She was seen alongside Tejasswi Prakash.

Speaking about how stardom hit and how things changed after Swaragini, Helly Shah recalls, "I think at that time, after Swaragini got over - or, if I may say so, after one year of Swaragini, when the show was actually very popular - you somehow get an idea that, 'Oh, everybody's recognising me, and I'm famous and stuff like that.'

"I thought that I had arrived. And I was 19. What do you expect from somebody who's 19? I was 19 at that time."

She continues, "In today's times, I think it would be different. I was actually 19, so I thought that this was it. I had arrived as an actor - or not actually an actor, but I had become a star - and there was no going back. I was going to do big shows and this and that."

"So, I think I would like to admit that stardom was in my head for a very brief period of time. But I did see certain changes in myself, and after a point, I was not very happy to notice those changes in my personality."

As the years passed, so did her perspective on how popularity will come and go, but her feet need to remain firmly on the ground.

"I realised that success and all of these things are superficial. It's all very temporary. Discipline, how you conduct yourself in life, how you talk to people and how kind you are - I think these are the things that take you way ahead in life," she says.

On The Eternal Debate Around The 'TV Actor' Tag

The debate between a TV actor and a big-screen actor has been endless for years. However, the lines have blurred over the years with the OTT boom.

Helly Shah says it has never irritated her.

She adds, "I don't think it has irritated me. It's just been my journey. Now, if we see the last one year, television actors are getting a lot of opportunities, and I think that's a great thing."

"Now, if I talk about myself, when I tried to transition and audition for web shows and films, it was almost five years ago. I was trying to attract more opportunities, meet people and let them know that, 'Hey, I'm there, and I would love to test or audition for so-and-so projects.'"

The result of her journey was a slew of hits, with shows such as Devanshi (2016-2017), Ishq Mein Marjawan 2 (2020-2021) and Sufiyana Pyaar Mera (2019), to name a few.

As for Chumbak, the remaining eight episodes of the series are all set to drop soon. Helly Shah signs off with immense excitement, looking forward to another round of compliments.

ALSO READ | Chumbak Review: Laugh Until You Cry In This Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Parallel Universe