Shrimaan Shrimati is a classic Hindi sitcom that aired on Doordarshan from 1994 to 1999. It starred Jatin Kanakia, Rakesh Bedi, Reema Lagoo and Archana Puran Singh in the lead roles. The show was written by Ashok Patole, directed by Rajan Waghdhare and produced by Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari. The show was dubbed in Tamil as Thiruvallar Thirumathi. In 1999 it was remade in Sinhala titled Nonawaruni Mahathwaruni starring Vijaya Nandasiri, Kusum Renu, Granville Rodrigo and Sanoja Bibile, which was aired on Sirasa TV. In 2015, a show named Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai! which is based on this show started airing on &TV. A reboot series titled Shrimaan Shrimati Phir Se premiered on SAB TV on 13 March 2018.On popular demand during national lockdown to prevent spread of coronavirus Doordarshan decided to re-telecast Shrimaan Shrimati on DD National and DD National in month of April daily from 7.00 P.M. also on DD Bharti at 9:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.back to back 2 episodes everyday.
Plot
Shrimaan Shrimati was built on the premise of "love thy neighbor's wife". Keshav Kulkarni is married to Kokila. Their neighbours are a popular film actress Prema Shalini and her effeminate husband Dilruba. Keshav is attracted to Prema's glamorous looks and lifestyle, while Dilruba is attracted to Kokila who is a smart elegant housewife. Both of them make use of every possible opportunity to flirt with each other's wives, but every time their efforts come to nought. The other important characters in the TV series are Keshav and Kokila's son Chintu, their other neighbor Ganga, Keshav's boss Mr. Sharma and his office colleague Gokhale.
Cast, characters and title-song
Main
Jatin Kanakia as Keshav Kulkarni a.k.a. Keshu, Pappu or Keku. He is the central character in the serial. Keshav is dreadfully confrontational, remorselessly flirtatious and generally distrusting. Generally, he is very disapproving of the actions of his wife, his son, his neighbor Dilruba, his manager at work, and with other office employees. The only person Keshav seems to trust is his colleague and frequent co-conspirator, Gokhale. Most of the show's plots center around Keshav's escapades and its hilarious upheavals. Although he adores his wife and loves her, he is annoyingly faultfinding and taking dirty digs on her. Keshav engages in flirtatious inoffensive behavior with his neighbor and film actor Prema Shalini, and craves her attention. He is also frequently seen flirting with Prema Shalini's friend and guest Sapna, his boss's niece, and other women in his office.
Reema Lagoo as Kokila Kulkarni a.k.a. Koki. She plays Keshav's wife. She is a smart homemaker and whose admirer is Dilruba Jarnail Singh Khurana. She is an intelligent lady who is frustrated with her husband’s crush on other ladies specially their neighbour Prema Shalini.
Archana Puran Singh as Prema Shalini a.k.a. Doll or Prema ji. She plays a popular Bollywood film actress and speaks with an anglicised accent. Her name in the serial is a pun on real-life popular Bollywood actressHema Malini. Mostly, she relishes the amorous attention from Keshav Kulkarni, but occasionally resents his dropping by unannounced at her home. Prema also contends with Keshav slipping into her film-making locations and interfering with the filmmakers.
Rakesh Bedi as Dilruba Jarnail Singh Khurana a.k.a. Dilruba a.k.a. Dil. He plays Prema's submissive homemaker husband, and is rather effeminate by voice and body language. He has a huge crush on Koki
Ajay Nagrath as Chintu, Keshav and Kokila's mischievous but adorable son. He has a tendency to deliberately and comically jumble up certain words. For instance, he addresses Dilruba as "Dil-bura uncle", which literally translated means "a person with ill will." Chintu always is seen to fail in his academics, and ends up getting it from Keshav most of the time.
Recurring
Shail Chaturvedi as Mr. Bablu Prasad Sharma a.k.a. Mr. Sharma, is a director of a pharmaceutical company and Keshav & Gokhale's boss. He thinks of Keshav and gokhale as a useless and incompetent employee, and often refers to him as "luccha" or "bhikmanga Kulkarni" and the most popular one, "3rd class aadmi". Keshav and gokhale thinks of him as a nuisance and calls him "taklu Sharma" behind his back.
Hema Diwan as Ganga Mausi. She is a good friend of Koki and resides along with her husband in Gulmohar society. Ganga Mausi is the first person who provides any news or advice to Koki. Both Keshav and Chintu dislike Ganga Mausi. Dilruba calls her Ganges Mausi
Vijay Gokhale as Gokhale, Keshav's office colleague and best friend who helps Keshav in his schemes to impress women or in difficult situations but in some cases it backfires for both Keshav and Gokhale.
A sequel series Aaj Ke Shrimaan Shrimati based on same concept but with a new cast and characters aired on SAB TV in 2005. A reboot series Shrimaan Shrimati Phir Se premiered on SAB TV in 2018.
