‘The game allows viewers to interact with Bhide’

Bhide Scooter Race, conceptualised by the entertainment and gaming arm of the production house Neela Films, is based on the adventures (and misadventures) of Atmaram Tukaram Bhide from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, played by Mandar Chandwadkar

TMKOC, as the show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is popularly known as, is a TV sitcom with mindboggling recall value. The show launched in 2008 and has continued for over 3,900 episodes across 15 years. The characters, who are residents of Gokuldham Society - Jethalal Gada played by Dilip Joshi and Atmaram Tukaram Bhide played by Mandar Chandwadkar - have now found their way to social media reels, memes, and more recently, games.

The game, Bhide Scooter Race, has crossed one million downloads on the Google Play store and the Apple app store. Inspired by the obsessive attachment that Bhide has for his vintage, yellow scooter, which he zips off on to deliver achaar-papad that his wife Madhavi makes, the game, says Asit Kumarr Modi, creator-producer-managing director of Neela Film Production, which produces the show, has become more popular among gamers who don't watch the show regularly.

"Taarak Mehta is like a live action comedy show," he tells mid-day. "Viewers want to be entertained at all times; what better way than to offer them simple and fun games surrounding well-known characters? It's a family show that employs simple storytelling. We upgrade the show as the world upgrades," says Modi, who plans to launch more games in the upcoming months.

Asit Kumarr Modi

A year ago, Neela Mediatech, the gaming and animation studio arm of Neela Films, created online, offline, single-player and multi-player games based on popular characters from the show. "It's because people turn to TMKOC to bust stress," says Chandwadkar, as we catch up with him between shoots. He recalls meeting a pair of brain surgeons at an airport once; they said they watch his show to let off steam after a gruelling day in the OT. "It helps them relax," the actor who plays a middle-class Maharashtrian tuition teacher, says. "It's why the game is popular too. Users, especially kids, like the fact that they can now interact with Tukaram." The combination of the show's trademark music, iconic touches like Bhide's scooter, and the show's catchphrases have been replicated in the game.

While several of the actors have changed over time, Chandwadkar has played the role of the society's disciplinarian secretary for 16 years. The character, he says, is now an extension of his own person. The scooter has a large fan following among children viewers of the show.

Ask him what his favourite memory of playing the character is, and he recalls how the show's writer, late Tarak Mehta, was hesitant about the twist he had given to the personality of Bhide. Later, Mehta had told him that Bhide had become his favourite character. "Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasmah is not a serial anymore. It's a way of life," he says. "Technically, I am living Bhide's life more than I lead my own. Sometimes, when I return home, I confuse what I've said to Sonalika [Joshi, who plays his wife Madhavi] with what I've said to my own wife," he laughs. "TMKOC is family now." The Gokuldham society gang also celebrates festivals together.

The studio also has games based on other central characters, including Run Jetha Run, Hungry Goli, and Daya's Match Pool. Collectively, the games have achieved the five million download mark.