'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' turns 14; creator says 'feels like we started yesterday'

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has officially entertained audiences for 14 years, receiving immense love and adulation for lighting up lives. Marking the occasion, creator Asit Kumarr Modi took a walk down the memory lane as he spoke about the struggle to launch the show initially, cut to the present day when TMKOC has broken several viewership records to establish itself as the number one comedy show in India. 

In a conversation with Indian Express, Asit revealed it was difficult to launch a comedy show at a time when television was dominated by saas-bahu sagas. He added that it took six years for him to crack a deal with SAB TV, with TMKOC finally gracing screens in 2008. 

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah turns 14

Talking about their trust in the show despite initial setbacks, Asit Kumarr Modi said, "We believed in our concept and knew it will strike a chord with the audience. It was new but something that will make people smile. I am glad we managed to do what we decided to."

He recalled knocking door to door for channels to accept his script and eventually going home dejected before striking a deal with SAB TV. Modi recalled that the channel was short on budget, and he knew he'll have to bear losses. "However, my wife and my team assured me that this was something that will work. Hence I accepted it as a challenge, listening to my inner belief. We kept working hard and it’s already been 14 years. It feels like we just started yesterday," the creator mentioned. 

After launching the show, Modi said that the audience went into 'disbelief' seeing there were no kitchen dramas, vamps, or big Havelis like in other daily soaps. However, people started relating to TMKOC's characters eventually. “After a couple of months, they saw that Jethalal was them and the neighbours were actually people around them. That’s when they connected and started giving us love. Yes, we had a tough start but with the amount of love we have been receiving, there are no complaints," Modi noted.  For the unversed, TMKOC airs Monday-Saturday on SAB TV. It has completed more than 3,500 episodes. 

(Image: Instagram@disha.vakani)