From owning a Rachel bobblehead to a booklet of Phoebe’s songs, Mumbai fans describe their 'Friends' obsession

The cast of American sitcom `Friends`. Photo: AFP

Even if it originated on American television sets, 'Friends' is among the most-travelled shows. It touched fans around the world including here in India. While the show first aired in 1994 and continued for 10 seasons till 2004, it was one of the earliest introductions to sitcoms for most 90s kids. Such is its popularity, fans keep revisiting it even after 20 years. The show has transcended from being enjoyed only on TV and appeals equally to generations that like to ‘binge-watch' on streaming platforms. It has immortalised the six lead characters - Ross and Monica Geller, Rachel Green, Phoebe Buffay, Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani.

Now, after 17 years, the cast will return to talk about the show on 'Friends: The Reunion', which will stream on Zee5 on May 27, 12:32 pm onwards, and fans in the city are more excited than ever to talk about their love for the show.

City-based fan Priya Mistry, who was introduced to the show in 2010, is so obsessed with the show that she revisits it more often than most other shows she has watched. "Every time I feel like I don't know what to watch or want to watch something chill, I will go back to watching and it doesn't have to be from the start but just any episode because I have watched all the seasons twice already," says the 25-year-old publicist.

It may look like Mistry has become a die-hard fan only recently but the pilot episode to her fandom started way before people had the luxury of on-demand streaming platforms. Taking us back in time, she says, "I was introduced to the show over 10 years ago through my sister, who had downloaded and watched it first. While I finished it then, the show later started appearing frequently on television between 8 pm and 9 pm, which is my dinner time and so I used to end up watching two episodes while eating but now I watch it at any time."

While she wasn't a part of the generation which collected posters, Mistry has owned several 'Friends' themed notebooks, and says she has a treasured collectible of a character she really loves. "I have a bobblehead of Rachel (played by Jennifer Aniston), who is my favourite character from the show because she broke away and started a whole new life. I know it is a show but it is very inspiring," says the fan, who like most other fans who like more than one character, admits that she also likes Monica Geller (played by Courtney Cox) because she believes that there is no fun without rules.

So it is not surprising when Mistry reveals that her favourite episode is the first one, in which Rachel makes her entry as Ross (played by David Schwimmer) is talking about wanting to get married. The one at the beach house where Rachel tells Ross's girlfriend to shave her head is another of her favourites.

Priya Mistry owns a bobblehead of the character Rachel Green (played by Jennifer Aniston) from the television show 'Friends'. Photo: Priya Mistry

The 90s kid isn't alone in her love for the character Rachel. Gargi Shrirurkar, 22, is an admirer too. As such, 'The One Where Ross Finds Out' tops Shirurkar's list of favourite episodes, even though it is difficult to choose. "It was the most romantic and satisfying episode because it felt personal and as if my two best friends were getting into a relationship." According to Shirurkar, Rachel's character had the most growth in the series and that is why she is her favourite. However, she doesn't miss out on appreciating Chandler's (played by Matthew Perry) sarcasm and even imitates his mannerisms in life.

Unlike Mistry who was introduced to the show pre-2010, the city-based copywriter dived into the show while she was in high school in 2014. Having watched it three times already, she says, "There was no turning back after I started watching the show because I was hooked on its relatability. I didn't even know it was 10 seasons long and ended up finishing it all in a week. With the realistic depiction of an on-off relationship between Ross and Rachel to three different and unconventional pregnancies and Chandler's sarcasm, it was really way ahead of its time and relatable even in this decade."

Shirurkar doesn't own collectibles but says that she knows all the famous dialogues as they've been etched in her memory. She even goes ahead and imitates Matthew Perry while talking about Rachel as her favourite character, "Sorry Chandler, can I be more smitten by Rach?"

The Navi Mumbai resident isn't only armed with an ability to mimic but also possesses a dedicated hard disk full of all the 'Friends' episodes as well as warm memories of watching it with her father on Saturday nights not long ago.

On the other hand, Borivali-based Jyoti Parekh was introduced to the show differently. "I got to know about the show because my mother's friend would watch it in our house in 2008. However, I officially got introduced to 'Friends' through a friend in 2011 when I was in college and have watched all the seasons four times since then," says the 29-year-old, who, like Shirurkar, boasts of knowing most dialogues from the show. She revisits it often too because it is "feel-good, light-hearted and feels familiar".

Mistry and Shirurkar may be fans of episodes with the character Rachel but Parekh has a different selection. She explains, excitedly, "I love the episodes with Phoebe's wedding, Monica's proposal, and even when Phoebe changes her name to Princess Consuela Banana Hammock. Those are only a few but I could go on." Like the other two 90s kids, the marketing professional says it is difficult to choose any one character because she loves them all for their different qualities. However, her love for Lisa Kudrow's character Phoebe Buffay is evident not only from her favourite episodes but also her list of all the characters' best qualities which starts with Phoebe's eccentricity. She and Mistry both love Monica's need to organise everything.

While Parekh isn't a big fan of posters, she did cherish a t-shirt for as long as it lasted and owns a collectible too. "I have a booklet of Phoebe's songs written in them because her songs were so real and it felt like I had to have it," she says, talking about how they were always so ‘morbid' but deserve to be a keepsake, because she is rightfully a fan.

Also Read: A list of the best Friends podcasts to check out before the Reunion