When recollecting about all the cringe-worthy stuff that our Indian television has presented to us over the years, there are plenty of things that we absolutely can't get over. One such show is the Indian version of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Let me predict your reaction to the same: surprised, startled, happy, annoyed, offended (and a big fat why?) As it may be the first time you’ve heard about it (or not) let’s talk through this daunting attempt at recreating the captivating F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
(Stills from the show ‘hello friends’)
THE ONE WITH THE F.R.I.E.N.D.S REMAKE
September 1999 was when the primary episode of the remake of F.R.I.E.N.D.S aired on Zee Tv by the title ‘Hello Friends.’
‘Hello Friends’ was not adapted or inspired by F.R.I.E.N.D.S but a thorough duplicate of the same but just with an Indian restyling. The sitcom had the same group of six entertaining, jocular and cheerful friends sitting in a café called Uncle Sam’s, influenced by the ‘Central Perk’ café in the original.
The Indian remake of F.R.I.E.N.D.S was made with an aim to provide the Indian audience with a more relatable content in Hindi while keeping the plot the exact same. Not only the storyline but also the theme of the apartments, café, and everything else in the background was set out to reproduce as far as possible.
HOW DID THE INDIAN VIEWERS RESPOND TO ‘HELLO FRIENDS’?
The answer is – very badly! The Indian fanbase of F.R.I.E.N.D.S is huge, and so there is no way they would welcome this show. Even 21 years ago, the American sitcom had enthralled all its viewers and had engraved a constant niche for itself among the television comedy admirers of India.
A contemptible rating of 1.1/10 on IMDb unfolds the hopeless fate of ‘Hello Friends’. Without any doubt, it was a total disaster and just lasted for 26 episodes.
WHAT MADE IT REAPPEAR NOW?
After a stretch of 21 years, conversion of 'Hello Friends' stimulated again on Twitter and that's how people came to know about this spin-off.
A Twitter user recently came across the fact that there is an Indian version of the very hit sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and now the whole internet is collectively going into shock.
Twitter was filled with reactions about the same. And yes! We have proof of the very fact.
Thus, if the mention of the show F.R.I.E.N.D.S instantly gives you an adrenaline rush, and you are eagerly looking for something distantly related to it and wanna try it out? Well, you may go and watch ‘Hello Friends’ on YouTube. The official channel of Zee Tv has uploaded a complete playlist of 26 episodes of the same.
WE WISH YOU (a huge) BEST OF LUCK.
SOURCES: THE PRINT, THE QUINT
IMAGE SOURCES: GOOGLE IMAGES
AUTHOR: RAMSHA KITTUR
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