Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has been entertaining audiences for 17 years. The sitcom holds a special place in Indian television history. Among its vibrant characters, Dayaben remains unforgettable. Disha Vakani, who brought Dayaben to life, left the show five years ago, and fans have missed her ever since.
In 2018, Disha Vakani went on maternity leave. Since then, the character of Dayaben has been absent from the screen. Apart from a brief appearance in 2020, viewers haven’t seen her since. In a recent conversation with SCREEN, the show’s creator Asit Kumarr Modi revisited memories from Disha’s first audition.
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Asit recalled how they had explained the character to her. According to him, Dayaben was supposed to be a simple and innocent woman. She loved looking after her husband, father-in-law, and son. He added that whenever she would get surprised or scared, her natural reaction would be “Hey Ma, Mataji!”, a phrase many Gujaratis use in daily life. He shared how Disha captured this emotion so well during her audition that everyone present immediately fell in love with her performance.
Another interesting detail Asit revealed was how the famous scene of Dayaben calling out to Jethalal from the balcony wasn’t entirely fictional. It was inspired by his own mother. He fondly mentioned that his mother would often call out to his father if he forgot something while leaving for work. That touch of real-life innocence was woven into Dayaben’s character.
The creator also shed light on how Dayaben’s famous Garba style wasn’t originally planned. It came about quite unexpectedly. He said, “During the first episode, we thought of adding garba in the episode when Bapuji snorted, his hip gets stiff, that is when we decided to try if we could use Garba to rectify his stiffness.” That was the beginning of the Garba craze associated with Dayaben’s character. What made it even more special was Disha’s improvisation. She added her unique moves, making it one of the most loved moments of the show.
Asit spoke about the early days of casting too. He wanted every character to feel like a genuine member of a housing society. He explained that most of the actors were newcomers then. Dilip Joshi, who plays Jethalal, was an exception with theater experience and a solid background in Gujarati dramas. Asit valued his ability to improvise on set. For the others, they held several workshops. The one thing he insisted upon while casting was innocence. He believed it was this quality that made the characters endearing and relatable.
On the topic of Dayaben’s return, Asit confirmed that the character would be back on the show. The search for the new Dayaben is underway. Though the process of finalizing a new face has begun, Asit confessed that his heart still wishes for Disha Vakani to return. He expressed hope but stopped short of making promises. Fans, however, continue to wait patiently, hoping to see their beloved Dayaben lighting up Gokuldham Society once again.
