Gharwali Uparwali is an Indian fantasy-sitcom television series which originally aired on Star Plus from July 3, 2000 to June 23, 2003. Gharwali Uparwali received acclaim throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular shows in the history of Indian television. The show is created by Nirja Guleri, an Indian woman achiever, who emerged into the limelight by virtue of being the first-ever woman director from India to shoot an epic film or television series on such a grand scale when she wielded the megaphone for the epic Indian blockbuster fantasy extravaganza, Chandrakanta. Gharwali Uparwali is written and directed by the award-winning director, Shrey Guleri. Gharwali Uparwali is considered as a milestone on Indian television on two counts. Firstly, Gharwali Uparwali is Indian television’s first-ever indigenous fantasy-comedy franchise and the instant popularity of this trail-blazing new fantasy-sitcom genre, replete with top-of-the-line visual effects , and which appealed to children as well as adults at the same time, set a trend that was followed by a plethora of similar shows such as Karishma Ka Karishma, Shararat, Meri Biwi Wonderful, Jeannie aur Juju, et al. Secondly, Gharwali Uparwali, which marked the television debut of Indian film actor Mukul Dev and which also starred critically acclaimed Indian film actress Ratna Pathak Shah, not only rapidly acquired cult status as an urbane and classic sitcom but also instantaneously caught the fancy of almost the entire Indian film industry. Consequently, Gharwali Uparwali went on to become the first and only show ever in Indian television history to feature such a huge ensemble of popular film celebrities. Rajat Kapoor, Anupam Kher, National Award-winning film actor Sanjay Mishra, Sharat Saxena, Akhilendra Mishra, Bob Christo, the vintage Kamini Kaushal and many other celebrities made cameo appearances in Gharwali Uparwali much like the Hollywood movie star cameos in the International smash-hit sitcom, F.r.i.e.n.d.s Gharwali Uparwali has been nominated for several major Television Awards including The Screen Awards for Best Serial in 2000, and The Indian Telly Awards for Comedy/Sitcom Of The Year in 2002. Gharwali Uparwali was later syndicated in India on Disney and enjoyed a hugely successful rerun on the Channel. A sequel series, Gharwali Uparwali Aur Sunny, also created by Nirja Guleri and directed by Shrey Guleri, aired on Star Plus from October 11, 2003 onwards as the second installment of this hugely successful Fantasy-Comedy franchise.
