Amar loves Hum Log

Did you know that Amar Upadayay's debut film -- Satish Shah's Dhoondte Reh Jaoge ran for only seven days in Mumbai?

People avoided Amar, now famous Mihir Virani of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, like the plague; they said he couldn't act at all. He didn't let that faze him. He persevered. And Kyunki… finally gave him his due. He became a celebrity overnight.

Amar has now signed on with prestigious banners -- J P Dutta's LoC and Arc Entertainment Private Limited's Wah Wah Ramji, for example.

Television gave him his due. And here, Amar Upadhyay lists some of his favourite serials:

Ramayana – The first mythological serial ever made. With its lessons in history and religion, it kept us glued to the TV set every Sunday morning.

Hum Log – I was in school when this serial was telecast. In those days, there was no Star TV. Doordarshan Television Network was all we had. Hum Log was one of the biggest serials then.

We could relate to the joint family depicted in the serial. They even became a part of our family. My family would watch it every day. We just loved Ashok Kumar at the end of each serial, telling us what to expect in the next episode.

Mahabharat – A very well-made serial. It must have been difficult to execute the project on such a big scale. It had such a big star cast.

Those who haven't read the Mahabharata would easily understand the serial.

Dekh Bhai Dekh – My first television serial. I think it was the best Indian sitcom ever. It had a great comic script and a wonderful cast -- Navin Nischol, Shekhar Suman, Sushma Seth and Farida Jalal.

Of course, I did not get any credit for its popularity.

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi -- My favourite serial. It is a well-made daily soap -- one of the best daily serials on this scale. Besides, I have a great role in it.


Amar Upadhayay spoke to Ronjita Kulkarni