Khichdi (franchise)

Khichdi (2002–2004)

Khichdi follows the story of a Gujarati family called Parekhs, who live in an old mansion. The joint family encounters many typically Indian situations, but they try to solve it in the most atypical fashion imaginable. This is a funny bunch of people that is firmly united in their movement to get separated. They want to sell their ancestral property and move out and form their own nuclear families. But the head of their family does not agree. He gives them the choice to walk out and survive on their own; but nobody is ready to let go of the money that is due to them. So they stay together and wait for the 'head' to change his mind or stop breathing, whichever happens first. And this is where the upwardly mobile middle class joint family faces its trials and tribulations. Khichdi is a look at the lighter side of an Indian joint family.

Instant Khichdi (2005–2006)

The series portrays the life of an eccentric Gujarati joint family living in Bombay. The family is led by the elderly Tulsidas Parekh and consists of his offspring, who he acquired at a local carnival. 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.

-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 new-found wealth. They live on in their own eccentric way, trying to ace 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. It 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, episodes run into flashback such as the marriage of Praful and Hansa.

Khichdi: The Movie (2010)

Jacky (Markand Soni) and Chakki (Kesar Majethia) are narrating to their classmates at a camp the story of their hilariously madcap Parekh family. When Chandrakant Sheth (Arvind Vaidya), father of Himanshu (Jamnadas Majethia) and Hansa (Supriya Pathak) passes away, he manages to tell the Parekh family that his last wish is to have his son Himanshu married. Now, Himanshu has one ambition since childhood, that is to have a memorable, legendary love story. It is all together another matter that he is not in love with anyone and neither is he capable of getting any sensible girl to like him. But as Babuji (Anang Desai) often wisely says, "for every idiotic Praful (Rajeev Mehta), there is an even more idiotic Hansa made", his prophecy turns out to be true. Parminder (Kirti Kulhari), Himanshu's neighbour, falls in love with Himanshu for no logical reason and the 2 get engaged to get married. That is when the story line takes a turn – Himanshu realises on the eve of the wedding that the impending ceremony would mean impending doom to his desire to have a legendary love story, as nothing interesting has happened in his love story to make it memorable. It was a simple non-happening take with a boring happy ending. No resistance, no conflict, no separation, no sad song, no climax, nothing. So, to make the Himanshu–Parminder love story a legendary one, Himanshu, along with Babuji, Praful, Hansa and Jayshree (Nimisha Vakharia), sets out to stall the wedding. And then begins their journey to create all those missing stages in Himanshu's love story to make it legendary. However, in this hilariously hare brained process, they make a mess of everything and how at the incredibly ridiculous climax Himanshu eventually manages to win his love back, makes up the rest of the story of the film.

Future

After Khichdi: The Movie, makers are planning a sequel to the movie.

Awards and nominations

Khichdi has been almost continuously awarded television awards ever since its debut, including the in-house Star Parivaar Awards.

STAR Parivaar Awards

Winner

Nominated

Indian Television Academy Awards

Winner

Indian Telly Awards

Winner

Nominated

Indian Telly Awards

Winner

Nominated

Khichdi: The Movie

DVD Release

In May 2012, "The Best of Khichdi & Instant Khichdi" was released on a 10 disc DVD set.