Growing up as a kid in the 1980s, it was natural for me to have a penchant for TV serials. But today, we have lost the charm, so any time an old serial resurfaces, it brings immense pleasure to many of us.
The TV series then had a unique story line and better content and came as a fresh refreshment to the viewers. The movie industry was running monotonous shows. Writing this chapter gives me goosebumps and immediately takes me to the time of actors and actresses who looked like regular humans and not humans with a mask of makeup and overacting zeal.
The millennials reading here and the coming generations can only feel the simplicity in my narrative, as you are habituated to much commercial version of what we used to watch.
The decade can be interpreted as a time when TV came as a solid competition for the silver screen with fresh faces, many magnificent stories and the making of the epics. "Hum Log," "Malgudi Days," "Buniyad," and "Chitrahar" were not merely television shows; they carried our cultural essence that brought families together.
As I take you down memory lane, we can savour every memory associated with the time, and the new generation can anticipate how every minute spent before the screen was so worth it.
Start of the new era of Indian television
Chitrahaar, first aired in 1982, the show was a medley of Bollywood songs from every era, old and new. With a rich aura of music and narrative, I, as a child, remember getting hooked to the television and being ensnared with a glimpse of the golden era of Hindi film music – where they telecasted movie songs by the great legends of the times like Naushad, SD Burman, Salil Chaudhury, RD Burman, Bappi Lahiri and more. I would also like to mention that it happened before the coming of YouTube.
As we were getting accustomed to the musical version of TV, then came 1984 Hum Log— India's first soap opera.
Tracing the basic lifestyle of people living in a lower middle-class family, the TV show brought up a conversation about the aspirations and problems that become beads in the string called life.
How nostalgic are the characters like Basesar Ram, Nanhe, Badki and Chutki! And the monologue at the end of every episode where the cine-actor Ashok Kumar talks about the happenings and ends with a punchline 'Hum Log'.
Next, I would tell you about Karamchand Jasoos, a detective with wit and humor. It came as a new adventure in 1985 with Bollywood actor Pankaj Kapur as the 'carrot' eating detective. Karamchand happens to be one of India's best-loved detectives with his utterly loved Miss Kitty, played by Sushmita Mukherjee. It had the spirit of discovering facts with a mix of comedy. A detective serial that can fix you to the box without making your head heavy.
As we indulged in simple, homely serials that were both light and mild, came the 104 episodes of Buniyad that unfolded the life of a Punjabi family that was affected by the tragedy of Partition in 1947, and about its aftermath over seven decades and multiple generations. It was a massive success among the viewers where many could resonate with the fate of a family that faced the brunt of Partition. It became Doordarshan's primary broadcaster in the 1980s. With theater-honed talents like Alok Nath, Anita Kanwar, Sudhir Pandey, Sulekha Sikri, and a squad of Bollywood talent like Vijayendra Ghatge, Soni Razdan, and Kiran Juneja, the serial was a constant hit. Do you recall Lajoji and Haveliram?
Gradually, as we lived through the decade, in 1986, DD channel broadcasted Malgudi Days…..
Remember the music "ta na na na ta na nana na" from the title song? Goosebumps!
And my new generation readers, you may search for it, and you will get lost in its vibes.
The charming stories of simple people living simple life in the fictional town of Malgudi remain one of the best-loved moments for me of growing up in the 1980s. The TV series was based on the novel by legendary RK Narayan. The iconic background music was the creative work of Carnatic musician L Vaidyanathan, and the illustrations were done by the acclaimed cartoonist RK Laxman.
Remember the title track 'Bade Shehr Ki Ek Gali Mein Basaa Hua hai Nukkad'?
Nukkad was a heartthrob for all.
Nukkad was a popular Hindi TV serial that aired on Doordarshan in the 1980s. It was directed by Kundan Shah & Saeed Akhtar Mirza and became a cult classic for its realistic portrayal of the struggles of common people in urban India.
The show revolved around the lives of a group of lower-middle-class people who gathered at a street corner (nukkad) to discuss their problems, dreams, and daily struggles. Some of the memorable characters included:
Khopdi (Sameer Khakhar) – The drunkard but lovable character
Guru (Dilip Dhawan) – The wise and helpful leader
Kaderbhai (Avtaar Gill) – The tea shop owner
Ghanshu Bhikari (Suresh Bhagwat) – The humorous beggar
Radha (Sangeeta Naik) – A strong-willed woman
Hari (Rama Vij) – The barber
Teacherji (Shreekant Soni) – The educated and kind figure
When the serial appeared first, it got an overwhelming response from the viewers. Because of its immense popularity, many of the characters are still fondly remembered: Guru, Khopdi, Kaderbhai and Ghanshu Bhikari.
The show beautifully depicted themes of friendship, poverty, and resilience with humor and emotions. It had a sequel in the 1990s called Naya Nukkad, but it didn't gain the same popularity as the original.
In 1987, we got the first epic Ramayana, which happened to be the harbinger of all TV series on the Hindu epic Ramayana.
With a fantastic star cast, a holy ambience and heartwarming dialogues and conversations, it had the potential to make a one–day India-Pak cricket match look secondary. Based on Valmiki's Ramayana and Tulsi Das' Ramacharitmanas, the epic launched Arun Govil and Deepika Chikalia as the faces of Lord Rama and goddess Sita and won the hearts of millions of Indians.
1988 was a year of more entertainment and vibrance.
After Chitrahar came another musical medley, Rangoli, that was first aired in 1988 and grew more popular in the 1990s. It made our Sunday mornings melodious and marked the perfect start for the day. The show was hosted by many star actresses, with Hema Malini as the first show host. We used to sit housefull before the TV set to watch and listen to the Dream Girl and admire her grace.
Now I'm going to tell you about the king of Indian television series! Mahabharata.
With the blowing conch, in the declarative voice, the name of the mega serial rang through every neighbourhood, and every mortal being used to flock around their respective TV sets to watch Mahabharata.
Sunday mornings, I never again witnessed such deserted streets anywhere in India. Even in this technical and fast-evolving decade, The epic TV show, produced by BR Chopra, continues to be the benchmark for any mythological TV series. It was so popular that even the BBC broadcasted it, and this mega serial was dubbed in Telugu, Tamil, and Indonesian for the respective viewers.
Who could forget Mahendra Kapoor's rendition of the Geeta shloka "Yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya" and Harish Bhimani's narration (he's also the voice of Time, if you recall).
The year also gifted us our King Khan, the evergreen cine star Shah Rukh Khan, with the patriotic serial Fauji.
Who would know that the serial would give Bollywood its next big superstar after Madhuri Dixit? Fauji was a TV series based on the training of Indian Army officers, and it was an instant hit, with Shah Rukh's innocent smile and deep dimples.
In 1988, also happened the Shyam Benegal-directed serial Bharat Ek Khoj, based on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India. It was magnificent and an essential milestone in TV historical dramas. Starring Roshan Seth (playing Nehru, whom the leader would have admired himself, were he alive) and actors like Om Puri and Pallavi Joshi, Kulbushan Karbanda, it had an elite content with a masterpiece narrative.
In its evolution journey, Delhi Doordarshan came up with Mirza Ghalib in 1989.
It came with a breathtakingly fresh concept, and it could touch chords with every Shayari lover in the world. Written and directed by Gulzar, and with ghazals from the maestro, Jagjit Singh, the show was an epitome of refinement that was topped by the mind-blowing performance by Naseeruddin Shah as Mirza Ghalib.
If feminism was ever portrayed right, it took flight in the serial Udaan with Vimlaji of the Surf ad as the protagonist, Kavita Choudhary, to describe the khakhi, playing an Indian Police Officer. Based on the life of IPS officer Kanchan Choudhary Bhattacharya (former DG of Police). The serial told the story of a young woman's challenges as a trainee and then an officer in a field dominated by men.
I wish I could write more about the TV serials that gave us houses full of entertainment and added fun, symphony and memories in the otherwise mundane life of people then, without the internet or social media.
Today's and the coming generation can hardly imagine the essence of the TV shows that the millennials witnessed. I would urge the new generations to take some time and watch the listed shows on YouTube. Trust me, those TV series can outshine any Netflix original or any popular TV show.
Writing every chapter of the olden days, I feel immense joy that I am able to walk you through the shadow of time.