Producer JD Majethia always wanted to do something different “while combining the different ingredients of entertainment”. But why a concept that sounds so similar to that of Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show?

“It was not scripted with The Truman Show in mind,” clarifies Majethia. Unlike in the movie, the family does not grow up in the studio. They are living a normal life when the channel persuades them into agreeing. “The basic idea is the same as The Truman Show,” agrees Pathak. “But the similarity ends there.”

With the medium changing from cinema to television, the characters differ to a great extent. In fact, Pathak who plays Baramasi Babulnath, the mother, is quite enthusiastic about the show. “I don’t think it has come on Indian television before,” she says. While the show does have a message, Majethia insists he is not trying to preach. “Remote Control is a humorous satire on how money corrupts us and makes our needs exceed our wants. It is about how we have lost the earlier simplicity of our peaceful lifestyle and now want only branded and expensive products.”

Majethia is all praises for his cast. “When I read the script, I felt Supriya was correct for the role. Deven Bhojani is one of our finest actors. All the actors fit their roles perfectly,” he says. Shooting for Remote Control was a learning experience for Pathak. “We worked as a team through all the ups and downs.” Pathak says she agreed to do the show because it had a different concept and it was one “I can enjoy doing. I want to be true to my audience. I don’t want to give them something I don’t believe in”.