Jaya Bachchan maintained professional environment during ABCL financial crisis, says Bhavana Balsavar
Actor Bhavana Balsavar recalled how producer Jaya Bachchan ensured the sitcom Dekh Bhai Dekh remained unaffected by the production house's financial troubles.
Actor Bhavana Balsavar recently reflected on her time working on the 1990s sitcom Dekh Bhai Dekh, noting how producer Jaya Bachchan managed the production during a period of financial difficulty for Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL). According to a Times of India report, Balsavar stated that Jaya Bachchan ensured the cast did not feel the impact of the crisis.
Balsavar, who played Sunita Deewan in the show, told Siddharth Kannan that the production quality and scale remained unchanged. She described the set as a lavish, multi-floor structure with a multi-camera setup that was unprecedented at the time.
The actor noted that while the cast was aware of the financial issues, the producers prevented these problems from affecting their work. Balsavar said that Jaya Bachchan would visit the sets to interact warmly with the cast, ensuring the atmosphere remained positive so that the artists' performances were not compromised.
Balsavar further explained that instead of using the show's revenue to settle debts, Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan chose to reinvest the money into the production. This decision was made to maintain the quality of the series despite the challenges faced by ABCL in the late 1990s.
Directed by Aanand Mahendroo, Dekh Bhai Dekh premiered on DD Metro on May 6, 1993. The sitcom followed three generations of the Diwan family living in a Mumbai bungalow and became a popular programme during that decade.