Would be the happiest to see 'Flop Show' back on TV: Savita Bhatti

With Doordarshan turning to its late 1980s library and bringing back famous serials "Ramayan", "Mahabharat" and "Shaktimaan" amid the coronavirus lockdown, veteran actor-producer Savita Bhatti says she would love to see "Flop Show", the beloved satirical sitcom, return to the small screen as well.

After the national broadcaster announced the re-runs of its iconic old shows, many on social media urged the broadcaster to bring back the serial, created and directed by Savita Bhatti's co-star and late husband, satirist Jaspal Bhatti.

"Flop Show", which aired in 1989 on DD National, was a simple yet tongue-in-cheek commentary about the problems faced by the common people.

"I watch the show on YouTube sometimes to see Jaspal ji alive. I come across comments from people who have watched the show recently. I feel happy that there are so many of them in the current generation who don't know about him and still know the kind of vision he had, which stands unparalleled still today. I would really be the happiest to see 'Flop Show' on TV again," Savita Bhatti told PTI in an interview.

"On a personal level, I would love to see a younger, prettier version of myself again. It is so close to my heart and something that is a part of my identity. I'm truly privileged to have been a part of the show," the actor, who played Jaspal Bhatti's wife in the weekly serial, added.

Jaspal Bhatti died in a car accident on October 25, 2012.

Savita Bhatti said while her husband was alive, he tried to get the rights to their show from the broadcaster without success.

"We have no royalty on this. The rights were with Doordarshan. When Jaspal ji was alive, he tried a lot to obtain rights from the network. But surprisingly they didn't encourage it at at all. We found out that they had sold it to Eagle Films Pvt Ltd. If they had to give the rights away, they should have at least kept him in the loop. Now, I don't know whether it is still valid."
"People came to meet us when he passed away saying whenever they were unsure about any issue, political or otherwise, they would wait for Jaspal ji to explain it through his Nonsense Club, which he used to hold in Chandigarh Sector 17. Jaspal ji had a social conscience. I feel the humorists are hiding somewhere because the times are different. Anyone and everyone takes offence at the drop of a hat."
"Except Jaspal ji and Vivek, most of us were amateurs in the production. One has to give him credit that he didn't shoot in Delhi or Bombay. We faced technical difficulties, some times the camera would break and everyone had to wait for days for somebody to go and get a replacement from Delhi. Things were often out of control and he was also finding a style. He was a perfectionist, so sometimes the shoot would go on for two-four days."
"All of us sat in front of the TV. When the show started, everyone screamed and yelled. Then every Friday, he would take a round of Chandigarh around 8.45 pm to check how many people were on the road instead of watching the show."