They met around two decades ago when they began shooting for the iconic sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. The show ended, but the friendship between the actors has only grown over the years. Recently, we caught up with Satish Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rupali Ganguly and Rajesh Kumar during one of their impromptu meets and saw how much fun they have even today. “Our friendship was cooked on a slow burner, unlike today, when everything happens quickly and fast through social media and instant messaging,” they said.

As the four chatted over dinner at a suburban eatery, it was fun to hear them recount the good ol’ times. Ratna said, “I remember I had to share my make-up room with Rupali (who played Monisha) and the first thing I entered the room and saw was her bed with a pile of things. Being the tidy one, I wondered how I would share the room with her!”

Rupali responded, “She entered the room like a diva with two kapde ki thelis and my bed had a heap of things. I was petrified!” “Later, we got along really well and started trusting each other,” added Ratna.

Rupali spoke about how she was new to acting and both Rajesh and her used to get scared around the senior actors. She said, "I used to keep applying make-up and I remember Ratna ji saying that a lipstick will not help you act well and everyone used to bet on how many takes I would need to finish a scene (laughs)."

Rajesh added, "I remember a scene in which I had a one-page dialogue, I was fumbling and Satish ji finally walked out of the frame. Now, when I see that scene, I realize what a torture it was for him."

Rajesh, who still addresses Ratna as Momma, shared how they shot for the show in such a way that Satish Shah could leave at 6 pm. He said, “Satish ji was a senior actor and we would give him priority and shoot in such a way that he could go home at 6 pm. But soon, he started waiting for us.”

Rupali particularly recalls the flood situation in July 2005. “During those floods, I had to stay overnight at Satish ji’s home. I remember how he pulled out a T-shirt and short pants for me to wear at night and thankfully, his fridge was well-stocked with food,” said Rupali, who is currently seen playing the lead in Anupamaa.

Apart from these four, the Sarabhai gang also includes Sumeet Raghvan, producers Aatish Kapadia and J D Majethia and actor-director Deven Bhojani. Actress Vaibhavi Upadhyay, who passed away recently, was also a part of the show and the actors remembered her.

Talking about how their friendship has remained intact, Rajesh said, “We have remained together like a happy family even after the show ended. Even if we don’t talk with each other for 2-3 months, the bond is still the same. It is that kind of friendship where if one of us gets emotional, someone like Satish Shah cracks a joke and makes the situation light.”

Satish shared how their tiffin boxes would be a point of conversation on the set. He said, “Ratna would get these tiny boxes of food and as a vegetarian, she always insisted on everyone eating vegetarian food.” Ratna responded, “Rubbish! I never did that.” Satish continued, “My tiffin was shared by all because my wife used to cook plenty of food.”

While Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai wrapped up on TV in 2006, the second season aired on OTT in 2017. So, is there a third season in the offing? “We would love to have a third season, but that is best left to destiny. We are all in different spaces in life, but our bond continues to be as strong as it was then. The bond we share is real,” they say.