April 14, 2010 (Sampurn Wire):Taarak Mehta ka ooltah chashmah is the literary work of a Gujarati. The protagonists are Gujaratis, the producer is a Gujarati and major chunk of the show’s viewership is occupied by Gujarati speaking people. With plenty of Gujarat at stake, the sentiments of Gujaratis ought to be respected.
Well, one didn’t expect the channel and the production to go to any lengths to safeguard interests of the Gujaratis. Producer Asit Modi is a thoroughbred Gujarati, one who is a strict vegetarian .In fact, this herbivore policy is reflected in his environment. Be it his shows, actors or official functions, non-vegetarian food is a strict no for Modi.
If you happen to bump into any function organised by Neela Telefilms, the food is strictly vegetarian. The carnivore actors have also acclimatised themselves to this green environment. Apparently, a lot of Taarak Mehta fans are alike Modi.
Recently, an ardent Gujarati jain fan of Taarak Mehta… was so livid to see a commercial of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) during the telecast of the show, that he wrote a letter to the producer and the channel demanding the ad to be chopped.
Not one to disappoint a single fan (and definitely not a Gujarati), Modi and the channel removed the KFC commercial, notwithstanding the financial loss.
Modi confirms the news, “Yes, such a thing did happen. Based on a fan’s complaint, we’d chopped off a KFC commercial. They (channel) will be able to explain better.”
We tried calling SAB business head Anooj Kapoor and even sent him a text message but he didn’t reply.
-Mayur Lookhar/Sampurn Wire
