TV Shows of good old times

Remember the good old times of the eighties and the nintees, when the small television has left a significant impact on our lives. Not many satellite channels, not many overtly schematic plots; just the simple plain stories inspired from real Indian families and mindsets. There was no TRP madness then, no Saas Bahu revenge overkill to seek the attention. A simple era of some great shows that made us laugh, cry and think.

While we welcome the new era of technology and the changing style of making serials on the telly, The Hans India fondly reminisces some timeless sagas of the Indian Television that remain classic in their unique way.

Perhaps an epic on the telly of all times in India, Ramayan created, written and directed by Ramanand Sagar made a history on Doordarshan. The original run of the series started from 25 January 1987 and went on till July 1988. The Indian households would leave everything aside on their Sunday and gather in front of TV to watch this rendition of Indian Epic, Ramayana written by Valmiki.

The roles portrayed by Arun Govil as Rama, Deepika Chikhalia as Seeta and Sunil Lahri as Lakshman will remain immortal as the most perfect screen roles of the divine characters.

Arvind Trivedi played Ravan in this epic series that continues to be an all-time home DVD series till date.

Hardly did Ramayan come to an end did Indian viewers got a delight in the form on the next Indian mythology on screen. Mahabharat, created by B R Chopra saw some highest ever viewership in between October 1988 and June 1990. The streets of India were deserted as each episode would be aired for exactly 45 minutes every Sunday, keeping the audience gripped with some great narration and mind-blowing performances from the actors, making them known more with their screen names than their real ones.

This was an era of stories told about Indian families on the small screen. Buniyaad was one of the most popular shows that aired about Indian families, sentiments and love. Vijayendra Ghatge earned the reputation of being called ‘Prince’ even outside with a great fan following. The old audience still remember the story and the performances of the screen characters.

Nukkad

A very popular soap that aired in between 1986 – 1987, Nukkad represents the middle class families and their simple lives. Nukkad means a street corner and a group of people who live there. Screen characters called Guru, Khopdi, Kaderbhai and Ghanshu Khikari became famous and known in every Indian household. The serial directed by Kundan Shah who later became a noted Bollywood director was one of the serials with heavy viewership and following.

Called India’s first soap opera, Hum Log was telecast in July 1984. Each episode would see veteran actor Ashok Kumar open with a narration and a discussion about what was going on in a family full of intense characters. A total of 150 episodes created a magic with the small screen audience.

Kashish was the beginning of urban stories with a bolder touch. Sudesh Berry and Malvika Tiwari starred as two powerful protagonists with opposite traits and how love blossoms between them despite the odds. The story was instantly liked by the young audience as this was a fresh concept and the genre of romance was touched for the first time. The series aired from 1988 to 1989 and was a huge hit with the evening segment viewers at 9 PM slot. Loosely inspired from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Kashish brought in the new style of serial making.

One of the most popular sitcoms on the Indian telly, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi was the beginning of TV evolution. The story based on the funny happenings of a couple and their friends and families was an instant hit with the masses. Shafi Inamdar and Swaroop Sampat played the celebrated main characters that fetched them intense popularity as actors. The other cast consisting of Rakesh Bedi, Tiku Talsania and Satish Shah were equally popular.

Perhaps the first of its kind on women issues, Rajini was every woman’s favourite. The TV series that saw Priya Tendulkar play a character called Rajini who solves other women problems fetched some great response in terms of viewership.

Evergreen programme on the Indian television that aired popular Hindi songs, Chitrahaar was everybody’s favourite. In the days where there was no cable connection, youtube or wi fi, Chitrahaar was one stop access to all Hindi film songs.