Family Sarabhai returns for Take 2 on Hotstar from May 16

When TV actor Sumeet Raghavan posted a selfie a while back with the cast of popular sitcom ‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai’ after 10 years, it a created a ripple amongst the show’s fans. Anticipation turned to frenzy when Producer Jamnadas (JD) Majethia confirmed in July 2016, “We have received so much support from fans online, some of whom have even volunteered to finance the show if it returns. During the discussions we agreed that none of us wanted a never-ending TV series, and a short-term online series seems a good idea. Once I return from my vacation, I will finalise the script and we will move on from there.” 

Now, following a unique marketing campaign, leading video-on-demand platform Hotstar has finally announced May 16, 2017 to be the launch date for ‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai: Take 2’. 

With the comeback, the show has also taken a leap of seven years. New characters will join the entire original cast of Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai – Satish Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Sumeet Raghavan, Rupali Ganguly, Rajesh Kumar and Deven Bhojani. 

‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai’ is based on the life of a hilarious and quirky Gujarati family, living in Mumbai. The show’s originality and humour have earned it a spot among the best of Indian television. The second season promises the same wit and sarcasm that became the hallmark of the show, along with some new and interesting story tracks and characters. 

Hotstar, aware of the consistent and passionate fandom for the show, designed an immersive marketing campaign which would allow fans to become part of the show’s journey, while giving new audiences a peek into what makes the show a smash hit. 

The quirky digital campaign kick-started with a teaser on April 3, taking fans on a virtual tour of the show’s set for the ‘Muhuratshot’ via Facebook Live. Millions of fans immediately responded with much enthusiasm, resulting in the show trending on Facebook for four days. 

Hotstar dialed up the engagement further with a digital video, inviting suggestions from audiences for naming the second season of the show.

The video went viral, attracting over 15 million views within just two days of release. The suffix in the show’s title, ‘Take 2’, was selected from over 50,000 suggestions from fans. 

The new name of the show – ‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai: Take 2’ – was finally revealed via an official promotional film on social media, which racked up 3 million views within 10 hours of release. The film, which shows the characters diligently cleaning various objects around the house, underscores the show’s proposition as a comedy that is ‘Clean bhi, crazy bhi’. 

‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai: Take 2’ is produced by JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia. 

Commenting on the show, Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar, said, “We looked at the comedy space on digital and realised that there is a glut of content that liberally uses swearing and insults to create comedy. While that has its place, ‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai’s brand of comedy stands out in sharp contrast as content that’s best known for its wit, sarcasm and the stellar cast’s inimitable timing.” 

He further said, “‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai: Take 2’ is the latest in our signature bouquet of content, called Hotstar Originals. Each show in this bouquet, be it ‘On Air with AIB’, ‘Cineplay’ or ‘Tanhaaiyan’, is genre-defining in its own unique way, and we’re really excited to see the enthusiasm ‘Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai: Take 2’ has already drummed up.”