4 min learnMumbaiAug 23, 2026 06:13 AM IST
Shekhar Suman was as soon as hailed as “the Amitabh Bachchan of tv.” Although he by no means labored extensively with the megastar, he’s collaborated thrice together with his spouse and veteran actor Jaya Bachchan. In actual fact, her firm Saraswati Audio Visuals, which later merged with Amitabh’s manufacturing home ABCL, gave Shekhar his breakthrough on TV with Aanand Mahendroo’s seminal sitcom Dekh Bhai Dekh within the early Nineteen Nineties.
Speaking about how he landed the function in Dekh Bhai Dekh, Shekhar stated on SCREEN Highlight, “As a matter of truth, I used to be useless in opposition to tv then. Each time the telephone rang, I hoped it wasn’t a TV producer calling me.” He’d already made his TV debut by then, eight years earlier than Dekh Bhai Dekh, with the 1984 present Wah Janaab, written by Sharad Joshi, who additionally penned his 1987 Bollywood debut, Girish Karnad’s erotic romantic drama Utsav.
“Proper after I was doing Utsav, which was written by Sharad Joshi, he was making a TV present — Wah Janaab. So, within the midst of the taking pictures, he supplied me the function of Azad, and stated he may solely see me doing it. I requested him if it’s a good suggestion to do TV, since I’m simply beginning out. So, he narrated the script to me,” the actor continued.
Shekhar Suman discovered the script of Wah Janaab to be “so good” that he gave his nod regardless of preliminary reservations. “I discovered it very embarrassing and awkward to say no to Sharad Joshi as a result of I had enormous regards for him. Everyone advised me to not do TV initially of my profession. However I stated, ‘To hell with it.’” Nevertheless, since he obtained a Bollywood breakthrough simply three years later, he determined in opposition to doing any extra TV — till he obtained a name from Aanand Mahendroo within the early Nineteen Nineties.
“I obtained a name at some point from Aanand Mahendroo, who stated he’s making a serial referred to as Dekh Bhai Dekh. I stated, ‘No no, I’m not considering serials.’ Then he stated, ‘It’s produced by Jaya Bachchan.’ So, I stated, ‘Maintain on!’ If Jaya Bachchan is backing it, and it’s an Amitabh Bachchan manufacturing, I’d take a look at it,” recalled Shekhar. Although he meant to fulfill Mahendroo for a narration of Dekh Bhai Dekh for simply 15-20 minutes, he ended up staying the entire night time, since he discovered the world very “thrilling.”
Jaya Bachchan’s involvement, Shekhar Suman recalled, went far past merely backing the present as a producer. The actor stated, “Jaya ji‘s ABCL workplace was only a ground above. She was fully palms on. She’d come on the set and supervise. She took private curiosity in it, which was very encouraging to see. She’d chortle her guts out at all types of idiosyncrasies we’d do. So ya, pleased instances.”
Earlier than he reunited with Jaya’s manufacturing home for one more TV present directed by Ramesh Talwar, Shekhar was additionally approached by the senior actor to do the primary reside Nationwide Awards present, being organised by her firm.
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“It was the primary time we had been going reside. It was an enormous catastrophe on the time — there was {an electrical} failure, and there have been abuses going round within the OB (Outdoors Broadcast) van, which had been being broadcast,” stated Shekhar, laughing. “However ya, I spent lots of time together with her on the time. Bachchan sahab had simply shifted to Gulmohar Park in Delhi. We’d sit at their home and ideate for hours,” he added.
