In the picture perfect world of Direct-to-home television today where gossipy general entertainment material matters more than content, it is but natural to remember the glorious bygone era. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, much before the reign of DTH entertainment, Doordarshan was our bridge to exploring India; its culture and the world of entertainment. On its 57th anniversary, we turn several pages back in the nostalgia book to recapture that time where Doordarshan gave us endless entertainment. So which are those 15 shows we would want back on the glorious Doordarshan today.
The Dewan family entertained us with its hilarious episodic triumphs in only 66 episodes, but till the time the goofy family and its reign lasted on Doordarshan there was an unstoppable laugh-riot courtesy an eclectic star-cast that included Shekhar Suman, Navin Nishchol and Fardia Jalal at their peak. And of course, who can ever forget the happy go lucky Karima?
At its peak, there was perhaps no match to the palatability and action-filled entertainment that the adorable Mukesh Khanna provided in Shaktimaan. Back in the glory days, he was Mr. Dependable on national television who broke the bones of criminals, fought for justice and took an entire world aboard a fancy freewheeling ride of seamless entertainment.
Most remember this as Shah Rukh Khan's first major outbreak on the screen, but for many reasons, Fauji was the quintessential ode to a young man's resolve and unswerving determination to be the best he could be whilst serving his country in the best possible manner. These were values that reminded people of a nation-worship and the regard for the Army- in a congenial and subtle manner.
If there is one particular mythological series that glorified the virtues like righteousness and the victory of good over evil, in a path-breaking manner than it was Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana. It shot Arun Govil and Sunil Lahiri to a cult-status and became a household name in a country where Lord Ram, Hanuman and Laxman are worshipped in every nook and corner. If not for anything else, Ramayana got India close to it and that's thanks to Doordarshan.
An endless mélange of exciting, trippy, meaningful and romantic Bollywood songs, it didn't matter if you saw a famous Shashi Kapoor or Dev Anand number in the 1990s, a time that was still about Mr. Bachchan, Govinda or Aamir Khan. With Chitrahaar, an entire Indian audience got only more closer to celebrating a unique tribute to timeless Indian film melodies that still reverberate with beautiful memories.
Perhaps, one of the most defining serials of its time, famous for emboldening the rise of the independent Indian woman, emerging from the grasp of a parochial mindset of the society, Shanti was also about meaningful characters, two warring business families apart from being the true blue rise of the then-less known Mandira Bedi.
Simply the best literary adaptation of the eminent R.K. Laxman's famous fictional work, Malgudi opened so many doors for us- of Swami and his trivial, but funny everyday issues, the simple pleasures of bunking school and playing cricket, that cheery-eyed rivalry between a group of friends whilst reminding us about the wonderfully powerful art of storytelling and how it can unlock pure magic in the audience's heart.
Two neighbouring families, each with funny and mischievous husbands, both of whom fall for their neighbour's wives, Shreeman Shreemati was actually a comedy so great that it was well ahead of its time. In other words, it won't be wrong to say that Shreeman Shreemati was to the audience's then what 'Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain' is today, but it can't match the simple charm of yesteryear's hit Doordarshan show.
A charming and clean-hearted tale of the familiar bond between man and his pet, this time, a cute and adorable monkey who is as sharp as he is funny and hilarious, Raja and Rancho was an interesting and captivating series that we had a hard time to part ways with when it stopped coming on Doordarshan.
A brilliant interplay between complex human emotions- jealousy, greed, determination, rivalry and vengeance, this show launched the acting careers of many a prominent Bollywood and television actor including- Kitu Gidwani, Manoj Bajpai and Rohit Roy.
Perhaps a great tragedy and also the most beautiful one at that on Doordarshan, the show lived for far too few an episode than the audiences would have ideally wanted. A Lekh Tandon epic, it was a brilliant tell-all tale of intricately related characters who personified feelings of love, nostalgia and longing. And, it has to be said, the evergreen Kanwaljeet looked his dapper best in this 14 episode show.
With Vikram Gokhale and Kavita Chaudhary at their best, the show was a remarkable portrayal of the challenges, struggles and ultimately, the redemptive powers of a woman IPS officer. Full of gusto and daring, Udaan was as engaging a show as it was entertaining.
This is an eternal and timeless classic. Mowgli, the man cub and his brilliant and lively adventures in the company of Bageera and Ballu, saw the celebrated triumph of the bond between man and wild and this nearly perfect and faultless depiction of Rudyard Kipling's classic was a part of our growing up memory. All thanks to Doordarshan.
One word- Sam De Silva and Gopi. Their masterful adventures whilst playing the cloak and dagger run and chase regimen, Tehkikat spun an intricate tale of deception, lies and murder with the thrills and mischief being ably detected and chased by the evergreen Vijay Anand on the screen, possibly in his most memorable avatar post his affair with making those wonderful movies. The show launched the career of the versatile Saurabh Shukla.
This was one of the most subtly underplayed albeit masterful detective series ever brought to a TV screen in India. Rajit Kapoor essayed with a dash of style and grace an ever curious eye to seize the notorious criminal masterminds' plans whilst solving with utter nuance and methodical proficiency some of the most daring and crooked murders and crimes. Thanks to Doordarshan, Byomkesh became a national rage.
With so much variety and such great entertainment, wish on this 57th anniversary of Doordarshan, we would all be given a gift in the form of getting these serials back on real-time.
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