MUMBAI: The tales of Akbar and Birbal have forever captured our imagination and left us marveling at the banter and wit between the Mughal King and his loyal aide. BIG Magic, one of the leading variety general entertainment channels in the Free-to-air (FTA) Hindi-speaking market (HSM), seems to have earned a special place in the heart of its viewers by bringing back memories of their favourite Akbar and Birbal stories with Har Mushkil Ka Hal Akbar Birbal. Filled with laughter and light-hearted moments, the marquee show, that features Kiku Sharda, Vishal Kotian, Delnaaz Irani and Kishwar Merchant in pivotal roles is once again tickling the funny bones of viewers while imparting a host of important life lessons. Starting the viewer’s day off to a bright note, one can catch the show every Monday to Sunday at 10:00 AM on BIG Magic.
With a fandom spanning generations, all it took was a few days after the launch for the popular historical comedy, inspired by the tales of Akbar and Birbal, to make viewers hooked to their screens. With a lot of drama, suspense, thrill and a pinch of comedy, the show had always been a frontrunner in terms of viewership and continues to do so even now. With plenty of anecdotes to narrate, the talented pool of actors, who left an impressive mark with their performances, share some memories related to the show.
Vishal Kotian who plays Birbal in the show said, “My experience of working in the show was amazing as I was surrounded by a set of close friends. Sometimes, magic just happens and the exact thing happened with this show. Nobody knew at that time that Akbar Birbal will become such a hit. I remember when I first went for the reading session for the show, Kiku and I were there and this movie Jodha Akbar had released and was already a huge hit. So I had the image of Akbar as a well-built guy and when I went for the reading, I actually thought that I was called for the role of Akbar as I believed it suited me more. When I started doing the show, I realized how Birbal’s character is so much like me in real life as well. Another thing which changed with the show is my Hindi, as being a Mumbaikar, my Hindi was not up to the mark and no one could have thought of casting me in a show like Akbar Birbal but as the show progressed, my Hindi actually improved.”
Delnaaz Irani, who plays the character of Maharani Jodha with utmost panache, said, “The number of messages, calls, and DMs we are receiving is unbelievable. People have been wanting the show to come back for the longest time. There are some beautiful memories associated with the show. As we used to spend most of our time on the sets, each one of us had decorated our rooms as per our choice and requirement. For instance, my room had a prayer corner, office corner, mirchi lights and I would light a diya every day. On the other hand, Kiku being a foodie had his room filled with eatables, fridge, microwave, etc. There was altogether a different level of comfort between each and every member of the show where we were like one big happy family on the set.”
Kishwer Merchantt, who plays the character of Urvashi, a beautiful dancer appointed by Emperor Akbar said, “It’s a show that has been very close to my heart and always will be. This was a character that I thought I could never pull off but I still end up giving it a shot. I am not very comfortable with comedy as most of my roles have been negative characters. But working with Kiku, Delnaaz and Vishal actually taught me a lot. Even Pawan and Sumit who were playing Vasu and Saleem were so good at what they were doing in the show. It was a great unit and was lovely working with everybody.”
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