EXCLUSIVE: Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai! Co-Producer Vihaan Kohli Opens Up About Turning Sitcom’s Legacy Into Film

The shenanigans of Vibhuti Narayan Mishra (Aasif Sheikh) and Manmohan Tiwari (Rohit Gour) with Angoori Tiwari (Shilpa Shinde) and Anita Mishra (Saumya Tandon) in ‘ Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain ’ will soon enthrall the fans of the cult show on the silver screen. After a whopping 2,749 episodes since it first aired in 2015, how will the show bring its charm and humor onscreen? In a free-wheeling chat, we discuss this and more with Vihaan Kohli , the co-producer of the highly anticipated movie. Vihaan’s portfolio spans being a child artist in hit shows like F.I.R. (while still occupied with homework of grade 7) and an AD in the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Fighter (2024). He is currently the head of content at Edit II, a Mumbai-based production house. How does the multi-hyphenated talent juggle between his various creative endeavors in the industry? You have grown up in front of the camera and now play a key role behind it. How has that evolution influenced the way you think creatively today? & From theater to television and films, you have explored multiple formats. What made you shift your focus from acting to creative storytelling? I’ve been fortunate to explore traditional theatre, the stage, films, television, OTT, and a range of formats in between, and I think all of those experiences have really shaped the way I think creatively. Acting was, and still is, something I want to do, and I don’t subscribe to the idea of ‘one or the ’other’-that you’re either an actor, a director, or a writer. We live in the age of hyphens and the age of ‘ands,’ where you can take on multiple roles. We’re seeing this kind of ‘creator-empowered’ storytelling emerging strongly-like Phoebe Waller-Bridge with Fleabag, where she both wrote and acted in the show. I draw a lot of inspiration from such creators, and one day I would love to do something like that myself. That said, I believe every producer or director should, at some point, step into the shoes of an actor, because you learn so much about what it actually feels like to say a line. Now, as a writer, whenever we’re working on a scene, my first instinct is to ask myself how I would perform it or say those lines. Many times, we go back and change things-because something may read very well on paper, but when you say it out loud, there’s no credible way of delivering it. I think that process has really evened out my journey as a creator and helped me understand storytelling from a much more holistic perspective. You also worked as an Assistant Director on Fighter. What was that experience like, and how did it shape your understanding of the filmmaking process? Till the time I worked on Fighter, I had done a few short films, acted in FIR, and been part of some stage productions here and there. After that, when I went to college, I found myself largely in studio-side, office-based roles. I...

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