Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah ( Taarak Mehta's inverted spectacles ) is one of India's longest running sitcoms. It is produced by Neela Tele Films Private Limited. The show went on air on 28 July 2008. It airs from Monday to Friday on SAB TV. Reruns of the show started on Sony Pal from 2 November 2015.

The show is based on the column Duniya Ne Undha Chashma written by columnist and journalist/playwright Taarak Mehta for the Gujarati weekly magazine Chitralekha.

Plot

Gokuldham Society is a residential society in Powder Galli, Goregaon East, Mumbai with four wings: A Wing, B Wing, C Wing and D Wing. Although the society has 17 flats, the show revolves around the lives of eight families. The residents are like one family  :

 Jethalal Champaklal Gada, an electronics shop-owner from Kachchh district, Gujarat, his wife Daya, father Champaklal Jayantilal Gada and son Tipendra (Tapu).Residents of B Wing. He often lands in trouble and takes help of his best friend, Taarak Mehta, and hence calls him as his personal "Fire Brigade".
 The narrator, Taarak Mehta works for a trading company and is a column-writer and his wife Anjali, a disciplined dietician who are from Gujarat. Residents of B Wing.
 Krishnan Subramaniam Iyer, a Tamil scientist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu and his Bengali wife Babita from Kolkata, West Bengal. Residents of C Wing.
 The society's secretary, Aatmaram Tukaram Bhide, a home tutor from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, his wife Madhavi, a business woman and daughter Sonalika (Sonu). Residents of A Wing.
 Dr. Hansraj Hathi, the resident doctor from Bihar, his wife Komal and son Gulabkumar (Goli). Residents of A Wing.
 Roshan Singh Harjeet Singh Sodhi, a mechanic who own a car garage from Amritsar, Punjab, his Parsi wife, also named Roshan and their son Gurucharan Singh Sodhi (Gogi). Residents of A Wing.
 Patrakaar Popatlal Bhagwatiprasad Pandey, from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He works as a senior crime reporter in Toofan Express. Has won many awards, the most important being "The Golden Crow Award". Resident of C Wing. Bachelor from years, is obsessed about his marriage. Has his name in many marriage bureaus, but is bachelor till date.
 Pankaj Diwan Sahay, also called Pinku, part of the Tapu sena and resides in another society (Gulmohar Apartments) (the Tapu sena didn’t know about his personal background since the start of 2008).

There are also other recurring characters including Sundarlal (brother of Jethalal's wife Daya, from Ahmedabad, Gujarat) and his friends Baka and Bhailu. Abdul, the shopkeeper of the provision store located outside the society entrance, reporter Rita Shrivastav from 'Kal Tak' a news channel, Inspector Chalu Pandey, Asit Kumarr Modi as himself, Jethalal's shop assistants - Natwarlal Prabhashankar Udhaiwala (Natu Kaka), his nephew Bagheshwar Dadu Udhaiwala (Baagha), who are often bent on doing the wrong job and Baagha's fiancee Bawri Dhondulal Kanpuria.

The members of the society and other characters have a good psychological bond of love and sympathy for one another that makes them live like members of one family. They are often seen celebrating festivals and participating in events together. Although they are shown to live the lives of typical Indian families, the characters, more often than not Jethalal Gada, tend to find themselves in trouble, cropping up from routine activities that intensify in a comical manner.

The quirks of the individual characters seek to enhance the humour quotient of the show. Whatever the nature of the problem that a member of the society encounters, all the other members stand by them to extend every possible help. In an episode, the resolution of the problem that a character faces is usually followed by a moral message at the end by Taarak Mehta, which is meant for all the characters of the show as well as the viewers.

Cast

Main
 Dilip Joshi as Jethalal Champaklal Gada
 Disha Vakani as Daya Jethalal Gada (2008-2017)
 Bhavya Gandhi as Tipendra Jethalal Gada (Tapu) (2008–2017)
 Raj Anadkat as Tipendra Jethalal Gada (Tapu) (2017–present)
 Amit Bhatt as Champaklal Jayantilal Gada
 Shailesh Lodha as Taarak Mehta
 Neha Mehta as Anjali Taarak Mehta
 Tanuj Mahashabde as Krishnan Subramaniam Iyer
 Munmun Dutta as Babita Krishnan Iyer
 Mandar Chandwadkar as Aatmaram Tukaram Bhide
 Sonalika Joshi as Madhvi Aatmaram Bhide
 Jheel Mehta as Sonalika Aatmaram Bhide (Sonu) (2008–2012)
 Nidhi Bhanushali as Sonalika Aatmaram Bhide (Sonu) (2012–2019)
 Gurucharan Singh as Roshan Singh Harjeet Singh Sodhi (2008–2013, 2014–present)
 Laad Singh Maan as Roshan Singh Harjeet Singh Sodhi (2013–2014)
 Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal as Roshan Kaur Roshan Singh Sodhi (2008–2013, 2016–present)
 Dilkhush Reporter as Roshan Kaur Roshan Singh Sodhi (2013–2016)
 Samay Shah as Gurcharan Singh Roshan Singh Sodhi (Gogi)
 Nirmal Soni as Dr. Hansraj Hathi (2008–2009, 2018–present)
 Kavi Kumar Azad as Dr. Hansraj Hathi (2009–2018)
 Ambika Ranjankar as Komal Hansraj Hathi
 Kush Shah as Gulabkumar Hansraj Hathi (Golya)
 Shyam Pathak as Patrakar  Popatlal Bhagwatiprasad Pandey
 Sharad Sankla as Abdul
 Azhar Shaikh as Pankaj Diwan Sahay (Pinku)

Recurring

 Ghanashyam Nayak as  Natwarlal Prabhashankar Udhaiwala (Nattu Kaka)
 Tanmay Vekaria as Bagheshwar Dadukh Udhaiwala (Bagha)
 Monika Bhadoriya as Bawri Dhondulal Kanpuria (Bawri)
 Priya Ahuja  as Reporter Rita Shrivastav
 Daya Shankar Pandey as Inspector Chalu Pandey
 Mayur Vakani as Sundarlal
 Jatin Bajaj as Bhailu, Sunder's friend
 Kanti Joshi as Baka, Sunder's friend

Production and promotion

The major part of the shooting is done in Mumbai. However, some parts of the show have also been shot in places such as Gujarat, New Delhi, Goa and in foreign locations such as London, Brussels, Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore.

To celebrate Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah completing 1,000 episodes on 6 November 2012, the director "decided to shoot the film on a different canvas as he does not want the audience to feel that they are watching yet another episode of the serial."

In February 2015, Joshi, Vakani, and Lodha hosted the red carpet at the 60th Britannia Filmfare Awards to promote the Clean India campaign.

Reception and impact
In the first week of 2017, the show stood in fourth position with 6,004 TVT ratings. In the fourth week, the show entered the top five and stood in fifth position with 6,059 TVT ratings. In March 2017, the show remained within the top five shows urban rural metrics. In the 25th week of 2017, the show stood at the top spot with 6,092 TVT ratings. In the 26th week of 2017, the show stood at third spot with 6,049 TVT ratings. It is the longest running scripted show on Indian television.In the 1st week of 2018 the show topped the trp chart with 6961 tvt ratings.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Piotr Glinski visited the sets of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah in February 2016.

Special episodes

 C.I.D. on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony SAB. The Episodes were named as Mahasangam.

References

Indian television series debuts by year
Hindi-language television series
SAB TV programs