It was in May, three decades ago, when Dekh Bhai Dekh introduced the Diwan family and in no time, the show became an important part of many people’s evening routine. The members of the Diwan family not just made people laugh with their silly antics and subtle humour, but left such a mark that even after 30 years, their names still make people smile. The iconic show still evokes nostalgia and is remembered as one of most popular sitcoms of the ’90s, with a stellar cast that included names like Farida Jalal, Navin Nischol, Sushma Seth and Deven Bhojani.

As the show completes three decades this year, three actors who started their showbiz journey with the show tell us what makes Dekh Bhai Dekh one of the most loved sitcoms even after so many years.

Amar Upadhyay made his acting debut with Dekh Bhai Dekh and says that he owes a lot to it. It helped him meet his mentor, Aanand Mahendroo (director of the show), gave him a chance to work with actors like Shekhar Suman, Farida Jalal and others and gave direction to his acting career.

“I remember that Aanand Mahendroo saw my pictures and contacted me and asked me if I had acted before. I told him that I had done some commercials. He told me that doing a TV show is a lot different and asked me to repeat some lines after him. I did that and the next day I was on the sets! I was shooting with senior actors like Shekhar Suman and Farida Jalal, who I had only seen on screen till then,” says Amar, adding, “I was introduced in the show in the eighth or ninth episode and a few days after that, my mom and aunt were travelling in a train and they overheard some people talking about Sahil Chachu (his character), and that he had a pleasant personality. And that was such a happy moment for my mom. So that show gave me an identity. ”

He adds that the best part about the show was its writing. “Even after generations when we will talk about TV comedy writing, we will talk about Dekh Bhai Dekh. It was simple, pure humour, and it was a beautifully written show. We don’t see that kind of writing anymore. Aanand Mahendroo was writing in the morning, shooting in the noon and editing it himself at night,” says Amar.

Urvashi Dholakia was in Class X when she started shooting for the show and remembers how she would finish her school at 1pm and rush for the shoot at RK Studios. “I was a very quiet girl and the character I was playing, Shilpa, was the complete opposite, so I enjoyed playing it. It was one of the first sitcoms with so many senior actors – Farida ji, Sushma Seth ji, Liliput ji, Satish Shah ji. Now when I think of it, it is rare that one gets so lucky to work with such a cast,” says Urvashi, adding that even after so many years, people talk to her about Dekh Bhai Dekh.

“Almost every day someone approaches me or writes to me on social media about how much they miss Dekh Bhai Dekh or how much they loved the show. I think anyone who watched the show had an instant connect with the Diwan family, the setting was so realistic – we didn’t have those extravagant sets, the characters in that show were so relatable. The show will always remain special and maybe I will watch the show again soon with my children now,” says Urvashi.

For Vishal Singh, the sets of Dekh Bhai Dekh was no less than an acting school. “I learnt so much from working with so many senior actors,” says Vishal, adding that a lot of thought went into making each episode.

“Those kind of shows are not being made now. There was a lot of creative freedom and the team worked hard to ensure that each episode was different and perfect. It was one of the first few shows to have a three camera set up at that time. It was way ahead of its time, both in terms of writing and technical aspects. The production team would spend around two-three days on one episode to make sure that the quality was unmatched,” says Vishal.

Vishal says that everyone he met found the characters relatable. “The way it presented day-to-day life in a humorous way was excellent. I remember we had to shoot a scene where I was falling from the stairs and we took 60 takes to get that right. I still laugh when I watch that scene,” adds Vishal.

Vishal Singh played Sanjay Diwan and Urvashi Dholakia played his girlfriend Shilpa