Amitabh Bachchan: ‘Jaya Bachchan didn’t let us feel any problems as a producer during Dekh Bhai Dekh,’ says Bhavana Balsavar reflects on the financial problems for Amitabh Bachchan’s production house ABCL | Hindi Movie News

Bhavana Balsavar, best remembered for playing Sunita Deewan in the popular 1990s sitcom ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’, recently looked back at her experience of working on the show. The actor spoke about how producer Jaya Bachchan maintained a professional environment on the sets, even when the Bachchan family was dealing with financial difficulties. Bhavana recalled that Jaya made sure the cast never felt the impact of the crisis or allowed it to affect the show’s production.Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), founded by Amitabh Bachchan, was associated with the sitcom and reportedly encountered financial troubles in the late 1990s. However, according to Bhavana, the situation never reflected on the sets. She praised Jaya for ensuring that the show’s scale, production quality and working environment remained unchanged.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Bhavana recalled, “They were such professionals and so brilliant. Jaya ji never let us feel that there were any problems. You should have seen the scale of the show — the set, the multi-camera setup and the amount of work we put in. That set was like a house; we could practically live there. It was so beautifully made and lavish. At the time, it was quite unprecedented to have such a huge standing set with a multi-camera setup, two floors, staircases and so many rooms,” she said.Bhavana also remembered Jaya’s warm interactions with the cast, saying that she would visit the sets, share a laugh and joke with everyone despite the challenges the family was facing. She explained that the producers were careful not to let the artists become conscious of the financial problems, as it could have affected their performances.Recalling those days, she said, “Yes, we used to hear about the problems, but you would never see them on their faces. Jaya ji would come to the set, and we would laugh and joke with her. They never let us feel that anything was wrong. As artists, we understand that if we learn about such problems, they could affect our performances. That is how professional and wonderful they were as producers,” she recalled.During the conversation, Bhavana also discussed how the earnings from the show were utilised. She pointed out that rather than diverting the revenue towards settling debts, Jaya and Amitabh chose to put the money back into the production. This, she said, reflected their commitment to maintaining the show’s quality despite the financial challenges.‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’ premiered on DD Metro on May 6, 1993, and went on to become one of the most popular family sitcoms of the decade. Directed by Aanand Mahendroo, the show followed three generations of the Diwan family, who shared an ancestral bungalow in Mumbai.