Now that the Netflix show Stranger Things has all of us looking back at the 1980s with misty eyes, it may be a good idea to revisit a local gem from Doordarshan’s repertoire.
Wagle Ki Duniya (1988) was this delicious single-pot dish that put to good use some of the most recognisable elements of middle-class India – a simple and unambitious office clerk, his modest housing colony apartment, a son who is obsessed with badminton (ManU football camps in summer break? Not in this world!), a red grocery bag that pops up in every episode, khadi kurtas, cotton saris, canvas shoes, high-waisted baggy pants and the Maruti 800. The show was conceptualised and written by cartoonist RK Laxman and based on his Common Man creation and directed by Kundan Shah. While Laxman had his finger on the pulse of middle India, Shah was at the time straddling the worlds of television and cinema with Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Nukkad and Wagle Ki Duniya.
As Srinivas Wagle, a likable and identifiable householder, theatre actor Aanjjan Srivastav evoked empathy and the laughs. Wagle was different from Mungerilal in Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne and Ranjit in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi because he was so utterly plain and un-dramatic. His life was not so much about a theatrical comedy of errors or bawdy humour as it was about his wife’s inability to cross a busy road or his younger son feigning illness to deflect attention from a misplaced felt pen.
What made the show such a cult favourite was its restraint. Wagle Ki Duniya was the aged single malt to the country liquor of contemporary sitcoms. The shimmery-smooth writing, acting and the witty yet subtle twist at the end of every episode gave this series its unique flavour. That and the way it captured real, everyday concerns.
For instance, if you are one of the zillion Indians who watched more badminton over the last few weeks than in your entire life, you may be interested in the Badminton episode. Wagle’s elder son wants to play the sport and neglect his household duties, such as running errands for his mother. Though Wagle admonishes his son for his obsession, the conversation takes him back to the days when he was the college badminton champ. What follows is a charming exploration of middle-class ambitions, father-son bonding and a couple of very practical parenting lessons.
Even if Laxman and Shah were trying to put forth a few messages, you never for a moment felt preached to. One of the most memorable episodes was the one about Diwali, which ended with the Wagles wearing clothes fashioned out of curtain cloth bought in bulk – a signature Wagle move.
Srivastav was so synonymous with the role that he found himself trapped in the image of a gullible homemaker who struggled with his English, had low IQ and zero aspiration. Srivastav was given an opportunity to reprise his role first in Wagle Ki Nayi Duniya and later in Detective Wagle in 2012 for DD. Laxman apparently refused to endorse the former show but blessed the latter. Without Shah’s light-handed direction, Laxman’s sparkling wit and Bharti Achrekar’s solid support as Radhika Wagle, Detective Wagle was not a patch on the original.
Ironically, those who seek out the series on YouTube these days are less interested in revisiting a charming classic and keener on digging up the episode that features Shah Rukh Khan in his television debut.
Khan was to become a more popular figure subsequently with Fauji, but in this episode, he makes it difficult to like him. Khan plays a character rams his car into Wagle and despite his best efforts to shrug off the incident, is dragged to the police station. The hamming hits an unbearable pitch as Khan, who is supposed to be a reckless young man, goes for overkill. He pulls at his cigarettes with the earnestness of a teenager taking his first few puffs, makes very little eye contact with people talking to him and is so jumpy you wonder if he is on some substance. He e even manages to bounce in his car seat while leaning out of the window to talk to Wagle. Khan wears sunglasses and baggy trousers and drives a Maruti 800m which gives you a fair idea of how far the star has travelled since then (or not). This episode has clocked more than 1.2. million views.