Friends is a much-loved show all over the world, but did you know that Indian Friends also exists and is a legit thing?
With the love of billions and a massive fan following, Friends has been a long time favorite of many since its release in 1994. It is still trending on Netflix in 2020. The characters are familiar and endearing, and the actors that played them now have successful careers but are still known and famous for the OG TV show.
But very few know that this chart-topping show has an Indian version, called “Hello Friends,” that released just 5 years after the original in 1999. Now, a viral Twitter post has people cringing 20 years later.
experts are saying coronavirus is the worst pandemic of our time? thats cute. i think ur forgetting about summer of 1999 when the entire executive board of https://t.co/bq6CuYEvK4 did acid and decided to make desi Friends pic.twitter.com/KgY50doG87
— no-neck Ed from 90 day fiance hate account (@lookitshnb) August 12, 2020
For better or worse, I decided to watch the first episode for you and… I didn’t know what I was signing up for.
The first episode was straight off a copy of the pilot episode of the American TV show.
We are introduced to the cast which you can tell are taken directly off of the show. There is Sanjana, who is our Monica Geller, the apartment owner, and general advice giver.
Then we have Cyrus, the very famous and sarcastic Chandler Bing whose shown here in an oversized shirt and a whole lot of overacting. Next to him is the effortlessly handsome and playboy of the group Joey Tribbani who, here, is Rahul… and a hard hit from that. Phoebe Buffay, the beloved and quirky character, is Penny here, whose quirkiness is shown by telling lame jokes and wearing a headband.
Vikram is the older brother of Monica – I mean Sanjana, which makes him Ross, and Nisha is our runaway bride, Rachel.
The lines are copied word to word, with not even slight alterations to the jokes.
As a Friends fan and someone who replays it over and over again when there’s a lot of indecisiveness on starting something new (hold the judgment, I know I’m not the only one) I could guess the lines even before the actors could say them out loud in their very strange way. Safe to say, Joey isn’t the only one having a hard time landing good acting gigs.
The only difference in the script being there is no mention of the actual reason why Vikram (Ross) wife left him in the actual show and Paul The Wine Guy (Jojo here) only holds Monica’s hand on their first dinner date.
don’t know if im disappointed or relieved that ive never seen this https://t.co/BfhAuB7uvL
— jvff3ry (@SanaOfAWhat) August 13, 2020
Credit should be given for the set as it is an exact copy of the original one.
From the coffee shop (which is Uncle Sams’s cafe here) to the sofa and kitchen in Monica’s apartment, everything is the same. The only thing missing is the humor and acting, really.
— wrekktangle (@wrekktangle) August 14, 2020
The original show ran for a total of ten seasons and got canceled in 2004 (to the dismay of many). Indian Friends, or “Hello Friends,” as the title goes, has only 26 episodes (to the relief of many) and we welcome you to watch them on YouTube, if you have a few extra brain cells to spare.
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Cover image via Warner Bros Studios/Headline Entertainment