Actress Shilpa Shinde has returned to the small screen, reprising her celerated character from Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai. While the show’s season 2 has been running successfully on Zee5, Shilpa has returned to the show after a decade. The actress who played Angoori Bhabhi initially in 2015 had quit the show after a year, following some differences with the producers. Now, as she returns, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai producers Benaifer and Sanjay Kohli reveal in an exclusive interview with SCREEN, how they managed to bring the actress back. Sanjay also talks about making Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai 2 on a smaller scale budget compared to its predecessors.
Why had Shilpa Shinde quit Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai earlier?
Interestingly, Shilpa Shinde was never the first choice for Angoori Bhabhi. In fact, as revealed by the producers in the show’s very first episode, Shilpa played the role of Anita, which was later helmed by Saumya Tandon. While Shilpa’s character as Angoori Bhabhi became an instant hit, in 2016, the actress had a fallout with the producers when she was asked to sign an exclusive contract for the show. This only escalated into a legal battle after Shilpa made some other accusations against the producers. Following this, the makers had decided never to work with Shilpa Shinde again.
How did Shilpa Shinde return to Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai?
Shubhangi Atre replaced Shilpa Shinde and played Angoori Bhabhi for 10 years. In season 2, Shubhangi’s exit came as a shocker. Talking about what went behind Shilpa returning and Shubhangi leaving the show, producer Benaifer Kohli said, “Thanks to Shubhangi, she ran the show for many years. At one point, the show was plateauing, and we needed to change the story. The channel said let’s change the actress also.”
Shilpa’s return was a promise Benaifer made to the show’s former writer, Manoj Santoshi, who recently passed away. “When my writer Manoj Santoshi was in Hyderabad for a kidney transplant, Shilpa looked after him. She was there 24/7, and to do that for a friend was amazing. She rented an apartment, would eat hospital food, and she has a level of kindness that is unmatched. After what I saw Shilpa do for Manoj, I have decided that I will look after her lifelong,” Benaifer said.
Sanjay Kohli added, “In Hyderabad, Manoj also gave her one wish that he wanted his Angoori to be back. He called Shilpa Angoori, so it was a promise that Benaifer gave him to bring her back.”
Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai 2 is made on a 20 percent budget cut
While the makers have been happy about the success Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai 2 is getting, Sanjay Kohli says he produced the show on a 20 percent lesser budget than season one. Talking about the decision to release Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai on Zee 5, he said, “On YouTube, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai is doing tremendous business for the channel. Today, when you produce a show on OTT, it can cost anywhere between Rs 1.5-2 crores. This show’s production cost is very cheap; on TV, the budget is very poor. Whether it comes on OTT or not, you are a producer for &TV, so the budget you get is according to that. ”
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He further added, “The budgets on TV are in lakhs, what we used to get in 2019 for Bhabiji, I am getting 20 percent less of that. After COVID, we were all asked to cut the budget. Benaifer was the first person to support that.” Benaifer said, “It was such a period that there was no advertising, so we went ahead with that. One or two people didn’t agree.”
Sanjay Kohli went on to discuss how artists never understand budget constraints and shared, “Artists never agree, they don’t understand. They don’t understand the outside world; the budgets we used to get in 2012, producers are getting those kinds of budgets today. Established producers are working at those budgets because the money from advertising has come down, the subscription base has gone down, we have to understand that.” Benaifer also added, “It is also getting divided with OTT.”
He further reflected on the cost of food, hiring a set, and all have gone up. Benaifer also said no matter what happens, they have always made sure that the crew’s payments never get held up. Interestingly, after Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai 2, they are also releasing a film, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain: Fun On The Run. The film marks the maiden production of Sanjay and Benaifer’s son, Vihaan Kohli.
