Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (literal meaning: 'This Thing Called Life') was a popular comedy
sitcom (situation comedy) on Indian television, aired for the first time in 1984.
It was written by comedy writer Sharad Joshi and directed by S. S. Oberoi and Raman
Kumar.
It was one of the first sitcoms and one of the biggest hit shows on Indian television
after the state owned television, Doordarshan, started sponsoring its programs.
The episodes revolved around funny happenings in the lives of Ranjit Verma (played
by actor Shafi Inamdar) and Renu Verma (played by actress Swaroop Sampat, a former
Miss India 1979), who play a married couple along with Renu's unmarried and unemployed
younger brother Raja (Rakesh Bedi).
Other characters were Ranjit's boss (actor Tikku Talsania), his Bengali neighbours
(actors Vijay Kashyap and Sulabha Arya), etc.
A trademark of the show were the characters played by Satish Shah. In each episode,
Shah played a different character who somehow played a key role in the plot.
These characters would be from various professions and various regions of India,
with some being close family friends of the Vermas and others being total strangers.
During the mid-1980s Satish Shah was anointed as "King of Comedy" by the entertainment
media as a direct consequence of the multitude characters that he played on the
show.
In later episodes, Anjan Srivastava also joined the show, playing different characters.
