Govinda inspired Dupahiya, director Sonam Nair reveals how

Govinda might be struggling to make a comeback in Bollywood, but the actor, best known for his comic roles, has inspired generations. The most recent example is Dupahiya, a series which was made with the sole purpose of entertainment. Featuring Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane and Sparsh Srivastava in the lead roles, this series was inspired by the actor-comedian that Govinda is. Dupahiya director Sonam Nair has opened up on the same in her recent interview. Here's everything she said...

Sparsh Srivastava's character in Dupahiya inspired by Govinda

During her interview with MoneyControl, Sonam Nair revealed that Sparsh's reference point for Dupahiya was Govinda's movies. She sent him CDs of Govinda's early movies like Street Dancer and Love 86. This was the time when the actor had just made his Bollywood debut and did not specialize in comedy just yet. "He understood, and I didn't have to direct him much. I wanted to capture the 80s vibe in the show, in the entire series, even the music," she said, adding that the 80s vibe is reflected in the show.

Sonam Nair casted Sparsh Srivastava without watching him in Laapataa Ladies

Sonam Nair confessed that she had not seen Sparsh in Laapataa Ladies before casting him for Dupahiya. She hadn't watched him in Jamtara either, so it was a clean slate for her when it came to the actor. All Sonam knew was that she wanted a screen test with Sparsh. She eventually did end up watching Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies and warned Sparsh that Dupahiya would be completely different. We now see the end result of it all.

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Sonam Nair on comparisons with Panchayat

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Knowing about the comparisons with Panchayat, Sonam shared that even though people finding similarities is great, Dupahiya is not Panchayat. "If someone says our show is similar, I'm happy," she said, while asking people to first watch both Panchayat and Dupahiya to understand how they are completely different.

Govinda, the evergreen comedian

Although Dupahiya tapped into Govinda’s era before Hadh Kar Di Aapne and Raja Babu, the actor is known for his comic roles. He became the face of romantic-comedy films in the 80s-90s, and a few of his evergreen films are available for streaming on ShemarooMe (OTTplay Premium). So, start streaming now!