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24.02.03
Hyacinth
Bucket gets an Indian makeover
On
the eve of Â鶹ԼÅÄ Showcase 2003, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Worldwide has concluded a major
new production deal with Star Plus, IndiaÂ’s number one cable
and satellite channel, to make 26 episodes of the global hit comedy
Keeping up Appearances in Hindi, with an all Indian cast.
Set
to reach a potential audience of more than 40 million viewers across
India, the series will be produced by Â鶹ԼÅÄ Worldwide and Indian production
company Chrysalis Films for Star Plus in Mumbai. Production begins
in March 2003, for a scheduled broadcast in summer 2003.
Script
changes will see Keeping up Appearances become Kauva Chala Hans
Ki Chaal (working title) - which literally translates as “The
crow who tries to walk like a peacock.” The series will be
set in Mumbai, IndiaÂ’s urban heartland - a far cry from Royal
Leamington Spa, where the original series was set.
Peter
Mukerjea, CEO of Star Plus India said, "We continue to be attracted
to the Â鶹ԼÅÄÂ’s light entertainment offering and after our success
with Kamzor Kadii Kaun (The Weakest Link) and Ji Mantriji (Yes Minister)
we look forward to the Indian version of Keeping up Appearances,
which will be perfect for our viewers. With the quality of Â鶹ԼÅÄ programmes,
and the reach of the Star network to the Indian population, we are
confident we will continue to be the pace setter in AsiaÂ’s
digital economy."
Monisha
Shah, Head of Africa and South Asia Â鶹ԼÅÄ Worldwide, who brokered
the deal, added, "Every society has its version of competing,
or ‘keeping up with the Jones’, and this Indian adaptation
will take a humorous look at the emerging "have money, will
flaunt it" mantra of urban India. This deal is another major
step forward by Â鶹ԼÅÄ Worldwide in its strategy of successfully delivering
format-based local productions in various regions across the world."
Hyacinth
Bucket, the overbearing and rambunctious social climber made infamous
by Patricia Routledge, has become ‘Bulbul Sand’, and will
be played by veteran Indian actress Ketaki Dave. Ketaki is famous
throughout India for her TV and theatre roles and several Gujarati
movies. Richard, HyacinthÂ’s hen-pecked and long-suffering husband
becomes ‘Madan Sand’ and is played by Manish Chaudhari.
Bulbul
Sand aspires to be a cosmopolitan sophisticate - desperate to keep
up with her middle class neighbours. And, as in the UK version,
her path to social greatness is thwarted by ‘Champak’
(Onslow), her no good slob of a brother-in-law, who likes nothing
better than watching TV and eating samosas, and ‘Koel’
(Rose), her short skirt-wearing sister who is always on the look
out for ‘Mr. Right’.
As
Hyacinth is Bucket, pronounced ‘bouquet’ Bulbul’s
second name is Sand, pronounced Saaand, meaning ‘male buffalo’.
Bulbul of course anglicises the name to sand, as in ‘beach.’
Other changes have been made for Indian audiences - in the UK version
Hyacinth and company are all ready to collect their pensions, however
in the Hindi version the cast are at least a generation younger
and straight-laced next door neighbour Emmett is now ‘Anjum’
an aspiring Indie rock star.
Sunil
Shanbag, producer of the Indian version said, "The show is
set to change the way comedy is perceived in India. We hope the
series will firmly establish that comedy need not depend on someone
slipping on a banana skin, but can have well-plotted scripts, rich
characters, and genuinely funny situations."
The
new version of Keeping up Appearances follows the success of the
Hindi version of Yes Minister, or Ji Mantriji, which saw the halls
of Whitehall transformed into the parliamentary corridors of New
Delhi. The series transmitted on Star Plus in April 2001 to excellent
ratings and reviews.
The
original UK version of Keeping up Appearances, made famous by Patricia
Routledge, is one of Â鶹ԼÅÄ WorldwideÂ’s best selling comedies
and has to date been licensed to more than 45 countries around the
world from as far afield as Denmark, Canada, Israel, Botswana, Latvia,
Namibia, Norway, Gambia, Egypt, Barbados, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Singapore,
Iceland and Spain.
Roy
Clarke, who also wrote Open all Hours and Last of the Summer Wine,
wrote the series.
Notes
to Editors:
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Showcase (24-27th February 2003) is the worldÂ’s largest
television programme market hosted by a single broadcaster. Hosted
by Â鶹ԼÅÄ Worldwide in Brighton, the market attracts more than 460
television programme buyers, from as far afield as Australia, America,
Japan, Singapore, Chile, Thailand, India, Eastern Europe and South
Africa, and representing more than 100 broadcasters in over 50 countries.
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Showcase will offers more than 1500 hours of programming across
comedy, natural history and science to childrenÂ’s, drama, sport,
news and factual. The market is expected to generate in the region
of £50 million for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Worldwide.
In
addition to Keeping up Appearances Â鶹ԼÅÄ Worldwide actively markets
formats of classic comedy shows such as Yes Minister, Yes Prime
Minister, Fawlty Towers, DonÂ’t Wait Up, Waiting for God, Only
Fools and Horses and One Foot in the Grave.
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