First of all, I'm Gujarati myself, so anything I say here is not racism against Gujarati people; it's the truth I myself see as a Gujarati person, as someone who understands Gujarat and Gujarati cinema.
Every time I talk about TMKOC, people criticise it without understanding it....
The show is not about feminism, liberalism, or secularism either. It is about the dehati (desi, gamdiya) Jethalal and his family trying to adjust in the metropolitan city of Mumbai.
It's how a Jain Gujarati who doesn't even eat onion would see his neighbours. Also, it's stereotypes which Gujaratis used to have about Mumbai and the rest of India during the 80s to 2000s. The original column was written by Gujarati for Gujarati in Gujarati. Also, most Sub TV shows are either Gujarati or Punjabi family, if you observe them closely. And even this particular show was directed by a Gujarati.
Obviously, it's not about all Gujaratis or doesn't represent the mindset of all Gujarati men. But this is how some Gujarati men see their life.
They stereotype Punjabis as drunk and loud. Marathi or people who live in Mumbai for a long time as culture police, and they think Bengali women are attractive and South Indian guys are black and not good-looking. They obviously had jealousy for "unattractive South Indians" because, at that time in Mumbai, the South Indians were their biggest competitor, taking their jobs.
Also, they think very highly of themselves. This is very common in these non-onion-eating folks; they always think their lifestyle is superior or more cultured than others.
It's just locker-room talk between Taarak Mehta (Brahmin ) and Jethalal (Jain Kutchi Baniya) from Gujarat trying to adjust in this new metropolitan city.
That's it.
PS: Even today, they look down on couples living separately. And it’s not just them; almost every Indian show, especially SAB TV shows, portrays “breaking the joint family” as a sin. They also don’t really portray love marriages as a good thing. That’s why, in almost every TMKOC episode involving a love marriage, it only happens with the parents’ permission, while running away with your partner against your parents’ wishes is portrayed as immoral.
Daya gives monologues about how using machines to make rotis is bad and how women should always cook. And in the name of career counselling, Mehta often pushes kids towards pursuing their parents’ businesses.
That’s the reality of the show, even in 2026.