Vandana Pathak refused to be a part of Khichdi after first day, asked director Aatish Kapadia: ‘Which daughter-in-law will say this?

She shared, “I just knew that the character was Jayashree but what she was or what the scene was, I didn’t know. So, Aatish had explained the scene where I had to walk from the Tulsi plant towards the house with a pot of water in my hand…So all these things happened and then I did the scenes with Supriya in the kitchen.”

She added, “I gave my first scene with Babuji. Shot dene ke baad Aatish ko bola, mujhse to nahi hoga ye. (After giving the shot, I told Aatish that I won’t be able to do this.) The way it is written, how will I say this? I had to give tea to Babuji and instead, I am giving him poison. I mean, which daughter-in-law will say this? This was the first shot and scene, so I said no. But Aatish and JD both had so much confidence in me. So this happened but I was literally shivering, my palpitations had increased.”

However, Jayashree went on to become one of the most loved characters on the show. The show went on air for several years and the characters of Hansa, Praful, Babuji and Jayashree became part of the audience’s lives.

So much so, that these characters became the identity of these actors. Actor Rajeev Mehta, who plays the role of Praful in the show recalled how some school kids near his house would shout a famous dialogue from the show.

“There was a school near my house and kids used to go in the morning and come back in the afternoon. Some kids, while going and coming back would shout at my house, ‘Ae Praful tu toh gadha hai gadha (Praful you are a donkey)’. Initially, I used to get irritated but with time I started taking it sportingly and would go out and wave at them,” he said.

The show also stars Supriya Pathak, as the innocent and curious Hansa Parekh. When asked if her family of actors also enjoy the show, she said her husband Pankaj Kapur loves the show more than anyone.

“At least Pankaj likes it a lot. He was not in town and came back yesterday and asked me about when are we going to watch Khichdi. Sana and Rushaan both have really liked the film,” she said.

Recently, Khichdi 2: Mission Paanthukistan was released in theatres to a mild response.