‘I’ll Be There For You’: How ‘Friends’ Became India’s Ultimate Comfort Show

Monday, September 30, 2024, 15:12

On 22nd September 1994, an American sitcom aired on NBC network and slowly and steadily stole the hearts of many. The series named 'Friends' with a cast of six soon won six Emmy awards and was consistently in the top 5 position, at times with a higher rating. The eighth season soon got it climbing to the top number one position.

Not just in America, this sitcom gained immense popularity all around the globe which included India as well. This year, as 'Friends' completes 30 years, the fans of the hit show are still binge-watching it on television, mobiles and laptops and are not getting enough of it. Leaving the Europeans aside, what makes Indians so addicted and influenced by this sitcom? Let's find out.

It talked about Friendship - Accept it, we Indians are high on the emotional factor. We value family and our friends a lot. But when it comes to friends, well it is something else altogether. We just can't do without our crazy group of friends - our partners in every crime whether it be in school, college, hostel or at our workplace.

And here was a series that was all about 'Friends'. It was all about a group of six quirky friends with different personalities that fought, loved and laughed together along with their relationships and heartbreaks that made it quite relatable to the Indian audience.

The Funny and Relatable One-Liners - Each and every character in Friends had one-liners that not only tickled the funny bones of the audience but stayed with them till date. Though there are umpteen of them, let's delve into some of them -

Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) - The deceased actor had one-liners in the season that resonated with people who had a low-self esteem just like his character was in the sitcom. The sarcastic and jovial character is mostly unlucky in love though he finally ends up marrying 'Monica' from his gang of friends. Some of his popular one-liners were "I'm Chandler, I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable" and "I'm not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?"
Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) - A favourite character of many, Joey was both flirtish and funny in a pretty silly way. Not just that he was a foodie that never liked to share his food with anyone. Majority of the audience loved him due to his gullible nature and lack of common sense. His popular one-liners were way too many but some prominent ones are - "Could I be wearing any more clothes?" and "Joey doesn't share food".
Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) - The character, who was initially nerdish was the typical intelligent guy (especially in the matters of science), smart and polite one in the gang. Though he is pretty disciplined and dedicated, he comes across as overly sensitive and an introvert. One of his popular one-liners was "We were on a break" owing to his off and on relationship with Rachel. Showing off his intelligence, "Unagi" and "Pivot" were also some popular one-liners.
Monica Geller (Courtney Cox) - Monica Geller, is a character that can be related to people with OCD. This cleanliness freak and people-pleaser is disciplined but unlike Ross she is an extrovert and pretty energetic. Though she gets into a relationship with a guy of considerable age-difference, she finally ends up having a beautiful love story and married life with Chandler. Here are some of her funny one-liners -"Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You're gonna love it." a funny and realistic quote that hits hard . The screaming of "I know" is another relatable line for the Indian audience.
Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) - This weird and eccentric character is another favourite of many. She acts crazy but she doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. The quick-witted and child-like character is a horrible singer yet confidently sings her heart out "Smelly cat, Smelly cat" with her guitar at their hangout spot, "Central Perk" in confidence.The 'Regina Phalange' one-liners include - "Oh I wish I could, but I don't want to" teaching us how important it is to say no when needed. "They don't know that we know they know we know", is another one that is pretty hilarious.
Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) - This popular actress in Hollywood, played the character of Rachel, a spoiled rich brat who slowly turns into a bold, independent girl in the series. Many girls loved the dressing sense and style of Rachel in the series, who makes a rushed entry into Central Perk in the first episode wearing a bridal gown. Some of her one-liners were - "No uterus, no opinion" as she struggles with her pregnancy and "Well, maybe I don't need your money. Wait, wait, I just said maybe", while she quarrels with her dad on the phone after running away from her wedding.

Finding a Common Ground to One's Day to Day Problems - Finally, whether it was love, heartbreak, the fear of turning 30, the struggles during pregnancy, of taking care of a baby or not having a baby, the series touched upon topics that connected to the audience, leaving the audience pretty emotional at the same time. Friends was one series that had repeat value for its depiction of friends hanging out at a cafe, talking about their day and their problems over a simple cup of coffee.

Banking on the popularity of 'Friends' in India, the series was even remade as "Hello Friends" in the Hindi language with an ensemble cast starring Cyrus Broacha, Nikhil Chinapa, Maria Gorettu and Simone Singh but it did no justice to the original series, and many had little or no idea about such a series existing until a scene turned viral on social media.