In India, Doordarshan is the number one TV channel. Now a days it is not so popular in urban areas but its old serials are still some of hot search items on internet. Everyday I got mails from my readers that how to watch blah blah blah old doordarshan serial online. A quick recap of old Doordarshan Serials (via Wikipedia).
Doordarshan is the free to air TV station managed by the government of India. It was the only source of TV entertainment before the advent of satellite TV in the 90s. Listed below are some of the old Doordarshan TV shows and serials which were really popular.
- Mahabharata: Nobody can forget this epic mythological serial. Everybody stopped working as soon as it started and remained glued to the TV till the episode was over.
- Dekh Bhai Dekh: One of the most popular sitcoms on Doordarshan, it told the story of family across 3 generations who stood by each other and loved each other despite their differences. Shekhar Suman became very popular due to this serial.
- Chitrahaar: The mornings in the olden days remained incomplete without turning on the TV and watching Bollywood songs on Chitrahaar.
- Wagle Ki Duniya: This very popular show told the story of a bumbling common man, Srinivas Wagle, who worked as a sales clerk. The characters of the show were created by R.K. Laxman and he also provided the narration. The lead characters Anjan Srivastav and Bharati Achrekar were simply amazing. A few memorable episodes include when Wagle does rounds of the license office and another when he gets conned into purchasing a damaged car.
- ChandraKanta: This was our introduction to the world of wizards and magic before the arrival of Narnia and Harry Potter. Superb acting by numerous TV stars made this show worth watching every Sunday.
- Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi: This popular sitcom featured the likes of Swaroop Sampat, Shafi Inamdar, Rakesh Bedi, and Satish Shah. The title song of the show was sung by Kishore Kumar.
- Alif Laila: A delight to the heart of children and teens, this show was based on the stories featured in “One thousand and one night.” Many fables ranging from Sinbad the sailor, to Ali Baba, to Aladdin left the audience asking for more after every show.
- Fauji: The serial is about the rigorous training that the Indian Army jawans have to go through. It is a serial known by everyone as it featured Shahrukh Khan as commando Abhimanyu Rai who is undergoing training. It may be noted that even though just 13 episodes of the show were aired on Doordarshan, the show has attained cult status because of the presence of SRK.
- Jungle Book: Children from all walks of life sat down in front of the TV, every Sunday at 9 AM, to watch the escapades of Mowgli in the jungle. Even now, all can easily recall the catchy title track ‘Jungle Jungle baat chali hai’
- Nukkad: Portraying the lives of people living and working near a street corner, this show achieved immense popularity and cult status in the 80s. The drunkard Khopdi was one of the most popular characters on the show as were Guru and Kadar Bhai.
- Captain Vyom: The first sci-fi serial on Indian telly, it featured Milind Soman as the captain. It was a moderately successful show.
- Hum Log: It was the first soap opera on Indian television. It lasted for 154 and spanned 2 years. The varied characters like Lalloo, Basesar, Chhutki, Majhli, and Dadi belonging to a middle class family easily connected with the viewers and got overnight stardom for the actors. The monologue by actor Ashok Kumar at the end of the show was what made it really popular.
- Malgudi Days: Based on a book by R K Narayan, the show told the story of the lives of people staying in rural India, in a fictional place called Malgudi, and their everyday struggles. Every episode of this popular serial was different and usually depicted certain innate aspects of a village life, such as a young Swami confusing a trespasser for a ghost or the missing mail, etc.
- Shaktimaan: It was the first superhero show on Indian telly and extremely popular with kids. In fact, children used to skip school so that they could watch this show.
- Yogi: It tells the story of Mr. Yogi, played by Mohan Gokhale, who comes back from America to look for a prospective bride. Over the course of the episodes, he meets many girls but each one has some kind of incompatibility. For example, a girl may be taller than him. The misfortunes of Mr. Yogi are portrayed in a very funny way.
- Vikram aur Betaal: It is another serial which was very popular with not just the kids but also with teens and adults. No one can forget the image of Betaal hanging onto the back of King Vikramaditya and telling him varied stories with each episode. At the end of each story, a moral question needs to be correctly answered by the king, else he would die.
- Others: Other old Doordarshan shows and serials that were popular include Shriman Shrimati, Byomkesh Bakshi, Haddi Raja, Surabhi, Tehkikat, Tenali Raman, and Zabaan Sambhal Ke.
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