Aao Maari Saathe: It was a Gujarati variety programme hosted by Adi Merzban. Very popular, it transcended language barriers.
Ados Pados: Directed by Sai Paranjpye, this was a light-hearted show set in a chawl.
Bharat Ek Khoj: Based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India, this Shyam Benegal-directed series explored the different periods of Indian history from Indus Valley Civilisation and Aryans to the present day India, covering epics like Ramayan, Mahabharat and works of Kalidas. Roshan Seth played the role of Nehru.
Buniyaad: This Ramesh-Sippy-directed show gave birth to many telly stars. A Partition saga, it captured the emotions of people suffering the aftermath. It also touched upon issues like widow remarriage. Kanwaljeet Singh, Alok Nath, Krutika Desai, Kiran Juneja and Neena Gupta hig big-time with this soap. Lajoji, Veeranwali and Haveliram had become household names.
Byomkesh Bakshi: Rajit Kapur starred in this detective series that was set in Bengal. Rather than depending on fingerprints, footprints etc, he solved cases with expert thinking, logic and analysis.
Chanakya: Directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, who also played the title-role, Chanakya was a fictionalised account of the life and times of Chanakya economist, strategist and political theorist. Though the series was acclaimed for its authentic costumes and recreation of the era, it also was considered controversial for some of its content.
Chhaya Geet: The only show that featured film songs, it was the most-awaited and probably the most-watched show.
Chimanrao Gundyabhau: Dilip Prabhavalkar as Chimanrao and Bal Karve as Gundyabhau brought alive the magic of CV Joshi’s story. A hilarious sitcom.
Chunauti: A college caper, this show was targetted at the youth. It had Arif Zakaria, Suchitra Krishnamurthy and Salim Ghouse.
Circus: Shah Rukh Khan played the son of a circus owner who comes back from USA and is forced to take control of a failing circus. It had Renuka Shahane opposite him.
Dekh Bhai Dekh: Shekhar Suman is so grateful to this sitcom that he is doing a film based on it with son Adhyayan. A popular sitcom revolving around the Divan family, this Anand Mahendroo-directed show had Deven Bhojani, Amar Upadhyay, Bhavna Balsaver, Navin Nischol, Farida Jalal and Sushma Seth.
Fauji: It was about a bunch of guys in an Army training school. Shah Rukh Khan as Abhimanyu Rai was a hit as the naughty trainee. A sequel is due now.
Gajra: A Marathi entertainment show, it had skits and spoofs on topical issues.
Gul Gulshan Gulfam: It was one-of-the first serial to be based in Kashmir and portrayed a Kashmiri family, who owned three houseboats. Parikshit Sahni and Radha Seth played the lead. Pankaj Berry and an extremely young Kunal Khemu were also part of this show.
Haas Parihaas: The first stand-up comedy show, it had Baban Prabhu and Yakub Sayed, performing in it.
Here’s Lucy: Who can forget the scatter-brained Lucille Ball in this slapstick comedy?
Hindi feature film: Everyone in the house and its neighbourhood would be glued to the TV on Sunday evenings to watch the Hindi movie. It didn’t matter which film was being shown. The streets would be completely deserted.
Hum Log: A story of the quintessential middle-class joint family, their struggles and aspirations, Hum Log struck a chord with the viewers who were glued to it week after week. Vinod Nagpal (as Bassesar Ram), Joyshree Arora (Bhagwanti), Sushma Seth (Daadi), Divya Seth (Majhli), Loveleen Mishra (Chutki), Seema Bhargava (Badki) and Abhinav Chaturvedi (Nanhe) formed the big joint family. For a long time, the cute-looking Abhinav was known by his screen name Nanhe.The highlight of the show was Ashok Kumar coming at the end of every episode, discussing and philosophising the situations that happened in the episode in his inimitable style with couplets.
Idhar Udhar: The Pathak sisters, Supriya and Ratna, alongwith Ravi Baswani made this show memorable. It was a comedy about two women who find they have been given the same flat by an estate agent.
Kacchi Dhoop: One remembers eagerly waiting for this serial that was targeted at the teens. Directed by Amol Palekar, it was a drama about three sisters. Bhagyashree, who played the eldest sister made her debut with this serial. It had Ashutosh Gowariker as her love interest.
Karamchand: Who can forget the carrot-chewing detective Karamchand and his dumb assistant Kitty solving cases in their unique style? Pankaj Kapur essayed Karamchand in this show that had zany camera angles from director Pankaj Parashar.
Katha Sagar: Directed by Shyam Benegal, this was based on a collection of stories by world famous short story writers such as Guy De Maupassant, Rabindranath Tagore, Leo Tolstoy etc. Manju Singh’s Ek Kahani was also along the same lines.
Khandaan: A corporate warfare between two mega-rich familes, it was aired again in the mid-’80s. Neena Gupta played a negative role as the beautiful and shrewd Ketaki. It had Dr Shreeram Lagoo in a pivotal role as one of the tycoons.
Khel Khilone: A children’s show, it was hosted by the lively and affable Manju Singh.
Kilbil: Targeted at children, this variety entertainment was a popular show and Sachin Pilgaonkar is said to have spotted his would-be wife Supriya in one of the dance performances on this show.
Magic Lamp: A potpourrie of magic shows, skits etc, it was targetted at children.
Mahabharat: Mein samay hoon, said Harish Bhimani in his rich baritone and everyone huddle in front of the TV to watch BR Chopra’s epic series Mahabharat. Mukesh Khanna, a struggling film actor, got a fresh lease of life with the role of Bheeshma. He played it even off-screen when he campaigned for the BJP. Rupa Ganguly as Draupadi was another highlight.
Malgudi Days: Based on RK Narayan’s novel of the same name, Malgudi Days was set in an imaginary village and was a delight to watch. It brought out village life simplistically and realistically and had actors like Anant Nag and Girish Karnad in it. The little boy Swami played by Manjunath in the series Swami And His Friends was endearing.
Mr. Yogi: A comedy about an NRI played by Mohan Gokhale, who comes to India to find a bride for which he checks out girls belonging to different zodiac signs. Ashutosh Gowariker revisited the concept in his film What’s Your Raashee?
Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne: Raghubir Yadav played Mungerilal, a small-time clerk, who dreams of big things and his wife ruins things by waking him up. Directed by Prakash Jha, the serial was based on James Thurber’s novel The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty.
Nukkad: Bade sheher ki ek gali mein basaa hua hai nukkad, went the title-track of this serial. A catchy song and an engrossing serial about a bunch of people living in a neighbourhood, it brought out the harsh realities of life , albeit in an entertaining way. Dilip Dhawan as Guru catapulted to fame. Others in the cast included Rama Vij, Pawan Malhotra, Avtar Gill and Javed Khan.
Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan: The first celebrity chat show on Indian television, the show had actress Tabassum interviewing film stars in a candid and friendly manner.
Quiz Time: A quiz show that had four teams competing for the prize is best remembered for quizmaster Siddhartha Basu, who charmed the viewers with his command over English and suave presentation.
Rajani: This iconic character was played by Priya Tendulkar. Directed by Basu Chatterjee, it was about this feisty, middle-class woman who single-handedly fought against injustice faced by the common man in his day-to-day life.
Ramayan: A mythological serial, Ramayan had the entire nation glued to it on Sunday mornings when it was aired. Arun Govil who played Ram was revered by fans who fell at his feet, whenever he was seen in public. Deepika Chikilia, who played Sita, tried to cash in on her popularity by contesting elections.
Samachar: Salma Sultana with a smile and a big rose in her hair, squatting at the flies in the studio without batting an eyelid and reading the news was one of the highlights. Luku Sanyal, Ramu Damodaran, Veena Mishra, Tejeshwar Singh, Smita Patil and Sunit Tandon were the other newsreaders of that era.
Saptahiki: A weekly preview of the shows that were to be aired through the week, this show hosted by Bhakti Barve was eagerly awaited just to catch a glimpse of the film songs and the film that would be shown on Sundays.
Shanti: India’s first daily afternoon soap, Shanti, was about an illegitimate child fighting for her mother’s and her rights. Mandira Bedi played the title-role in the show that created history.
Show Time: Manju Singh hosted this film-based show. Based on one theme every week, it would have clippings from films revolving around that theme.
Surabhi: A cultural magazine, it gave an insight into India’s rich heritage. Renuka Shahane presented it with Siddharth Kak. It ran for a record 11 years.
Tamas: A gripping and hard-hitting tale of Partition, it was about the refugees, who suffered during one of the most traumatic events after Independence. Directed by Govind Nihalani, it had Om Puri in a stellar role.
The World This Week: Through this show, Prannoy Roy gave us a peak into what was happening around the world in his charismatic style. It was the first-of-its-kind show on Indian television.
Udaan: One of the best serials on women empowerment, it was based on the struggle of a woman aspiring to be an IPS officer. Kavita Choudhary played the protagonist. It had Shekhar Kapur in a cameo as her love interest.
Vikram Aur Betaal: Based on Betaal Pachisi, these are spellbinding stories told to the wise King Vikramaditya by the wily ghost Betaal. Ramanand Sagar made a series with Arul Govil playing the king and Sajjan Kumar (Liliput) playing the Betaal.
Wagle Ki Duniya: Anjan Shrivastav and Bharati Achrekar played Mr and Mrs Wagle in this show about RK Laxman’s quintessential common man and his problems. With simple stories and brilliant acting by the lead actors, it was a popular serial.
What’s The Good Word?: A quiz show, it was hosted by Sabira Merchant. She was probably the only one then who had a chic style of dressing.
Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi: Kishore Kumar sang the title-track, Satish Shah played a different character in each episode and is still remembered for his line ‘30 years ka experience hai.’ With Shafi Inamdar, Swaroop Sampat, Sulbha Arya, Vijay Kashyap and Rakesh Bedi in it, this sitcom was a huge hit.
Zabaan Sambhal Ke: Based on the international hit show Mind Your Language, this hilarious sitcom had Pankaj Kapur playing a professor teaching Hindi to students from various parts of India.
