Roshni Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; April 3, 2014)

Six years on, viewers still can’t get enough of Jethalal’s (Dilip Joshi) and Dayaben’s (Disha Vakani) antics and the fun times they share with their neighbours in their Gokuldham Society. No wonder then, the ratings of Neela Telefilms’ comedy show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah remain high even as it nears 1,400 episodes.

 It’s a big moment for producer Asit Kumarr Modi. He says, “I remember around 10 to 12 years ago, when family dramas were ruling the scene, nobody thought a daily comedy show would work. But Taarak Mehta… managed to do just that.”

 Comedy’s a difficult genre to sustain. Isn’t he worried he might run out of ideas for the show? “Not at all. I have a great team and together, we have a lot of interesting stories to tell. Today, we do shoulder a bigger responsibility. Audiences have loved the show so far and now expectations are bound to be even higher. We are working hard and have come up a lot of funny tracks that will air in days to come,” he replies.

 He says the best part is that the show has had no time leaps. “So, thankfully, we don’t have four bahus coming and going and a character turning 150 years old. Also, we have had no replacements. Even Roshan Singh Sodhi, who had left the show, has returned,” says Asit.

 At some point in the future, he plans to make Taarak Mehta... into a film. “Whenever I make the film, I will cast the same actors,” he says. Right now, Asit is busy with his animation film Tapu Sena, which is based on the kids in Taarak. He elaborates, “It’s a film with children, yet caters to all age groups. There are two other films in the pipeline, one of which is a comic love story. It’s an exciting phase in my life... getting into films has been something I had been planning for a while.”

 And now with him branching out into movies, will he be able to pay as much attention to TV? “Of course, television is closest to my heart and I can never be away from that. It’s all about teamwork; when you have a good team with you, there’s no reason to worry. And I’ve always liked doing different kinds of things. On TV too, we have been making diverse shows, like Wah Wah Kya Baat Hai, which gave the hasya kavi sammelan format a new avatar. Also, our game show Sab Khelo Sab Jeetto looks at entertaining the participants as well as the viewers,” says Asit, adding, “For us, it’s about family entertainment always, be it on television or in films.”