Instant khichdi

Instant Khichdi is a popular TV show in Star One.It is the sequel to the show Khichdi.

Cast

Director & Writer - Aatish Kapadia
Producer - JD Majethia
Babujee (TulsiDas Parekh) - Anang Desai
Hansaben - Supriya Pathak
Jayshree - Vandana Pathak
Prafull parekh - Rajeev Mehta
Himanshu Seth - JD Majethia
Raju parekh
melissa parekh
Hiraben
Chakki and Jacky

Characters in Details

Tulsidas Parekh is head of the family. He is also known as 'kur kur Kumar', the best way to describe him. He is short-tempered, irritable and dotes on his unnaturally stupid son, Praful. He is also superstitious and believes in swamis. He believes that the smartest people in his family are Jackie and Chakki - the two children. In spite of his idiosyncrasies, he seems sane compared to the rest of the family.

Praful Parekh, undoubtedly voted as the most stupid. He is 40+ years old and gets a salary from his employers for not turning up in office. He is severely in love with his wife, Hansa, they are considered the most loved couple on TV today. The words 'I' 'ME' 'MY' are integral part of his limited vocabulary. He is the person who can answer the even stupider queries of Hansa's. His funniest dailogue came when he asked Himanshu to join him for shopping and quoted - shopkeepers don't allow him alone to enter shopes. He brings some of the funniest things when Babujee send him for shopping.

Hansa Parekh the perfect match for Praful. If Praful is 'stupid', she is definitely 'stupider'. She is 40 years old but behaves like a 12 year old. Hansa is the perfect dimwit who is very eager to learn English, but she possesses the art of dodging any kind of household work with such perfect precision that at that point of time she emerges as the craftiest woman nature ever created. She hates cooking, eating and generally everything that requires effort. She is only interested in her gajra, her sarees and not to forget, her Praful.

Jayshree is the smarter bahu of the family. She is not only a scheming gossip monger, she is also a chalta firtaa 'Ask Me' counter. Ask her about the neighbour's mother-in-law's sister's hernia operation and she'll tell you how long it took and which nurse did the patient's husband make a pass at. She is an expert cook and has a firebrand sense of humour. She never lets an opportunity pass by and makes the best of the worst situation.

Raju Parekh is a young guy. He has a roving eye, modern, aspiration and has married Mellisa much against the family wishes. Babuji gets one more reason to dislike him. As a normal man in this abnormal household, he usually doesn't have any say - babuji always shouts him down and now he has accepted his lot. Though way smarter and much more educated than the rest, he still prefers to be in the mad house.

Mellisa Parekh, a Catholic girl married to Raju. She will never hear the end of babuji's lamentations and Jayshree's schemes against her but now, like Raju, she also has accepted her lot. She is strong, and when required can put everybody in their places.

Chakki Praful Parekh is the 10-year-old daughter of Hansa and Praful Parekh. Very smart and intelligent, she also wishes to become a beauty queen when she grows up. She keeps thanking her parents for giving her their Good looks and not their Brains.

Jackie Parekh is a highly energetic, a bright and academically inclined child. He loves to mimic others but at the same time is very sensitive. He is one of the smartest in the family. He has a soft corner for his mom, Jayshree.

Himanshu Sheth is Hansa's brother who stays with her. Babuji calls him 'moochon wale Hansa' - which explains his basic IQ level - they still have to figure out who is more stupid, Hansa or her brother. He is obsessed with cooking and doesn't allow his wife to enter the kitchen. He has a very well established catering business in Jamnagar. But has come to Mumbai to be in the film industry. He thinks making films is as easy as preparing a good dish. For him whatever Hansa decides is final.

Parminder is married to Himanshu, a typical Punjabi girl - very shy and fears her brother, Parminder. She never has an opinion of her own and depends on her brother and husband for everything.

Bhavesh Kumar is husband of Tulsidas Parekh's daughter. Daughter is not living in the house, but Bhavesh Kumar lives in house with his in laws. He loves eating. He can eat anything and everything. Jayshree gets annoyed too much with him.

Bharat Parekh is a deceased husband of Jayshree. Never came on screen.

The Plot

The show portrays the life of an eccentric Gujarati joint family living in Mumbai. The family is led by the elderly Tulsidas Parekh and consists of his offsprings. The first season, particularly the initial episodes, focus on the idiosyncratic members of the family who are only united by their desire to separate from each other. Since the patriarch does not permit them to sell off their house and separate into nuclear families, they live on hoping that he changes his mind or passes away. Eventually, they move into a much larger house left behind by a deceased aunt. And they become overnight millionaires when they discover oil in their older property.The second season portrays humorous depictions of a bourgeois family that is trying to settle itself into higher society with their newfound wealth. They live on in their own eccentric way, trying to ape the lives of the super-rich.

The first season portrayed the trials and tribulations of a joint family and often touched an emotional cord. Later on, particularly in the second season the show started focusing more on the situational comedy, as the characters started fitting themselves into their eccentricities. Several new characters were added during the course of the show.The show is largely episodic with most plots running for one or two episodes. At times it runs into subplots that last a few episodes such as the marriages of Miraben, Raju and Himanshu. Rarely, edpisodes run into flashback such as the marriage of Praful and Hansa.

Trivia

*Instant Khichadi will be the first TV show to be aired on 3 different TV Channels at same time. Currently it is being aired on POGO (daily on week days) and Star One (once in a week). It is scheduled to be aired on Star Utsav (once in a week) from next Month.
*Anang Desai is currently acting soaps like Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni and Four(SAB TV).

Awards

In 2002 & 2003, Supriya Pathak as Hansa Parekh on Star Plus' Khichdi got the best TV actor in a comic role (female) award.