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  J D Majethia
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Stuck in the rains, I get extremely tensed as I make my way to meet the man behind iconic shows. When I reach his splendorous abode, I am extremely apologetic but J D Majethia is unperturbed and acts a perfect host. That was when I knew….he is the man who is so much more. A tea addict, upright, witty, his daughters best friend and an ideal hubby, J D Majethia is a man with many shades.

And his new show ‘Khidki’ on Sony SAB TV has been making tintinnabulations on Twitter for its search of stories based on amusement and hilarity. Another product from the ace producer Jamnadas Majethia who has prominent shows like Khichdi, Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai, Baa Bahoo aur Baby, Badi Door Se Aaye Hain among others in his caboodle of success, he is nothing but ecstatic to create another epoch in the world of comedy.

A quick narration about this new show…

This mini – series, each consisting of around 5-7 episodes gives a sneak peek into theside – splitting anecdotes sent in by the viewers of the country. Hold on…what grabbed our eyeballs was that the same set of actors will be playing different characters in different stories. This new fiction comedy drama directed by Umesh Shukla of ‘Ohh My God’ fame and produced by Hats Off Productions will see Sarita Joshi, Aishwarya Sakhuja, Manav Gohil, Rajeev Mehta, Lubna Salim among others playing pivotal roles in each stories.

But there is something more than what meets the eye. The name ‘Khidki’ makes us remind his another show ‘Khichdi.’ We wonder whether he wanted to leisure the fame of his previous show.

He instantly replies, “You know what I and Aatish were on a tour to East Africa for our play during Khichdi days. We wanted unique name and thought of Khichdi. The same way I was discussing with Umesh. These days, we have such elongated names for the TV shows. Then the name ‘Khidki’ hit my mind and we never gave it a second thought. The name is sweet, spicy and simple. You see, everyone wants a window seat be it plane or car, except for rainy days. This is because you want to see the world. Even if you are getting bored at home, where you will go? Obviously it is Khidki. The concept is similar to that. It is like peeking in someone else’s life because the content is based on real humorous incidents.’’

We instantly ask him the inspiration behind this unique show.
He adds, ‘’The thought has been there since our theatre days. We used to observe people and that gives a dimension to look at things differently. This is our food for thought. I love inspiring stories and love to inspire people. We have come across so many people and unique characters.Now can you imagine a person in crisis to be bold and hilarious? We have met such people also.’’

His other shows gave birth to unforgettable characters like Hansa, Praful, Monisha among others. We ask him whether the same is applicable for Khidki as it is a mini-series.
To this he frankly answers, “I admit the fact that the designing of this show is the toughest because every week I am launching new series. I play Sutradhaar and also will be essayingthe role of few other characters. So yes, I will become the face of the show. I am like Natkhat Krishna in various avatars. As time progresses, characters will be created. After a month or half, we will form a pool of actors and will create a separate brand from these shows. Even actors will get creative advantage as they are getting to play various avatars. If this show clicks for a year, you will see a set of 50 actors who will be remembered by audiences just like Hansa, Praful, Maya and Monisha.’’

However, adapting a story based on personal events can be challenging also. How does he maintain a balance between entertainment quotient and facts

"This process is difficult and easy too. Since it is a comedy show, you need to continuously get that chuckle from the audiences. But what’s the fun if there are no challenges? There are so many new and untested ideas which writers can’t think of which you may get from people due to population and diversity of our country. Comedy is from crisis only. And everyone’s way is also unique. Yes dependency is there. However, I just need one line and my writers will fictionalize it and create a story out of it. Also we are focussing on wholesome family comedy and office relatedhumour. Also the stories would be from different parts of country and hence you will be witnessing different cultures. ’’

J D Majethia has always been associated with shows which are family comedy.
"I am a dual person. To me, discussing sex comedy is very private. And because of this, people on my sets mocks at me. See, I am humorous and flirtatious but I don’t enjoy adult humor and it does not come naturally to me.’’

We are bombarded with lot of comedy shows…both in fiction and non-fiction category. Talking about the challenges and comedy space in India, he thinks India is a country of mediocrity.
‘’Yes, because it is mass oriented. Upbringing is very important in deciding what you can do. Toilet humour may work across the country but I can’t take it. Trust me; I have not seen a single sex comedy. I don’t enjoy horror too. Rather, I will read newspaper again. I think The Kapil Sharma Show is amazing. But again in fiction category, I am not finding anything dependable as of now except for Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Asit Modi has picked the right content and right actors. I feel we should raise the bar of comedy in India and the standards have gone done due to output. Comedy needs a lot of rewriting work. Creating a comedy show which airs 5 days in a week takes a lot of toll on the writer. And that is why TKSS has been able to maintain its standards as it is a weekly show. Kapil writes and rewrites till he thinks it’s perfect and that is how it is. You can’t wear four jewellery more and make it loud.In India, stress buster is humor comedy as Indians are louder and love revelries.’’

But the same time audiences in our country are very erratic. One day they will keep someone on pedestal and then the next day, they may disapprove the same person. We saw the same with ace comedian Tanmay Bhatt who received backlash for his video on Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar. Stressing the importance of self – sensibility, J D thinks one cannot resort to derogatory statements to make a comedy video. ‘
’I am not okay with derogatory statements. You need to do comedy gracefully and tastefully that even the actors can enjoy them. If you remember I made this show ‘Mrs. Tendulkar’. People used to ask me that is it related to Sachin Tendulkar. I could have spiced it up and said yes. But I can never think of hurting him or anyone else. They are among the most respected public figures andhow can you say they need to take it sportingly? Not necessary everyone will take it gutsily. Derogatory, toilet, religion and vulgar comedy doesn’t go well with me. Vulgar comedy should be telecasted only at late nights. And yes, religion is something not to talk about, but it is to practice.”

He has built his own empire. From 1 room to penthouse and a car and office, J Dundoubtedly deserves a salute.
"I have not changed in my look, passion and hard work. I still go for press conferences and I cannot take anyone for granted. I can recall a recent incident where I had to reach airport but there were few journalists who wanted to interview me. Don’t you think it’s my duty to give them content and make them feel that the visit was completely worth? The day I will stop enjoying my work, it will reflect on TV screen also.”

We ask him about his role as a producer and how difficult it is to be the biggest risk bearer.
“Well, first of all I am involved in everything from concept, costume, look and casting. I take personal attention while casting people even for small roles. I personally brief artists sometimes as I don’t want any good artist to lose an opportunity because of the casting director. Yes, but once the director takes the lead, I don’t sit beside him. Once you give your plane to a pilot, then it’s their job. I don’t believe in backseat driving. With this, I think wearing a producer’s hat is not easy. I always need to be fair and that is difficult. Yes, producers are the biggest risk taker because even if we are making losses, we have to pay. There are few shows which went off-air in just two months.’’

Even a good story loses its track while succumbing to the pressure of TRP’s
’This TRP fad has increased since last 4-5 years. I never asked TRP numbers to channel during my Khichdi days. See, I can only strategize to make my show more successful like strengthening my characters, increasing run time, introducing new characters, etc. so people will enjoy more. However I can’t manipulate the show for TRP figures.Obviously, I want all my work to be successful but I leave that to destiny. I can now afford not to bother about success because of my previous hits.’’

Rapid fire with J D Majethia

Thought behind the name Hats Off Productions

I did not wanted a gujarati name even though I belong to the theatre group. I was sure I wanted to go beyond it. So this name because it’s like bowing down and giving respect to audiences.

One thing unique about Hats Off Productions

We are not only actor or output driven but also product driven. And that’s the reason even if my artists worked at reasonable rates, they have always been satisfied. All our shows are high on production values.

What does humor mean to you.

Humor is like oxygen to me. I think it is also the topline quality which appeals to a person.

Your favourite stand-up comedian

Kapil Sharma

Your favourite shows

Apart from TKSS, in fiction I think Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi and even Malgudi days. Khidki is actually similar to Malgudi days.

Three adjectives for you

Passionate, Hard-working and Fair.

One thing not many people know about you

I head TV producer association since last 8 years. I am the co-chairman of IFTPC. From strikes to other crisis, I have always played a significant role.

Lastly, everyone wants to know this. Will Sarabhai vs Sarabhai return?

Cannot assure, but I am definitely going to try for that. I am planning to meet Uday Shankar soon to take this further.

- J. S