Saturday, April 14, 2012

Indian TV shows back in the day.. (90s)


The Indian television media in recent times has become very pathetic. They are focused only on making money in the easy and fast way. No preference given to shows which could impart knowledge and provide a pleasant viewing experience.  I went through a listing through some regional and national TV channels to see what kind of good innovative programs they offer and it was not at all surprising that almost entire line up was a spin off of the American or European version of the same show. American idol is Indian Idol, Who wants to be a millionaire is Kaun banega crorepathi, big brother is big boss etc…
If national TV was like this, the regional language channels are even worse. All the Suns, geminis , vijays.. all channels are so engrossed in telecasting Mega serials with story lines about illicit relationships and revenge within families. None of the serials have a positive outlook at all.
Where has the creativity gone? Why are there no genuinely Indian made shows which are good, where are our creative minds... Why do we have to wait for USA to make a innovative show and then copy it ?
There used to be some genuinely creative shows back in the day. Everything got lost somewhere down the line.  

Here’s some of the awesome shows I’ve seen on Indian television.
It would contain a lot of regional shows as well.

11.      Aalif Laila
It was a show based on the stories of the Arabian nights. It was a Sunday morning treat. The show had a very simple premise of story telling and it was executed very well with limited technology and simple graphics. The show might seem funny now, when you see all ancient graphics, but it was quite the sensation to watch in my childhood.



22.       Chandrakantha
This was an ancient king time show with sorcery, magic and romance. This show also was a Sunday morning extravaganza for me. There was a time when I could sing the entire title song of chandrakantha. I hardly remember the synopsis of the show but it was a creative one for sure.


33.       Maharabaratha
It’s probably one of the most run TV shows in Indian history. The creators of the show were geniuses. Converting an epic into a television show is not a simple task. they also had the best intro for any show during that time. The old sage’s voice over with a outline of his body and a spinning chakra, that time was a breathtaking shot in Television.
The plot is a big one..the Indian Epic by the same name was it’s plot, enough said.



44.       Ramany vs Ramany
A Tamil comedy based on a newly married couple and the problems they face in day to day life with their parents, relatives and work. It was one of the most hilarious tamil comedies in tv. Simple, sweet and funny is how I’d describe this show.



55.       Kaialavu manasu
A emotional drama featuring a middle class family and their lives after a tragedy. I remember it being a start off for many of the current stars in cinema such as Prakash raj. I remember a scene from this show where the youngest daughter of the family is given up for adoption and she’s asked to sing a song, the daughter doesn’t know she’s going to go and she sings beautifully, the mother who watches it cries uncontrollably and refuses the adoption.



66.       Surabhi
An Indian cultural show, which featured different artists and musicians from all around India. The show also showcased a lot of Indian arts, customs and cultures which were largely unknown to the world. It was a good video magazine to know about Indian cultural influences.



77.       Marma Desam
The best Tamil TV show I’ve seen by far. The show was a brilliant thriller.  It featured good characters who brought the mysterious feel to the show all through it. Each episode used to have a startling intro and a even more gripping end. The title song gave quite the scare to me, when ever I watched the show. I used to avoid watching the title for a while, as the dog in it, came in my dreams.
P.s. the video clip is from the Telugu version of the same show, i couldn't a working Tamil version clip.




The marma desam later evolved into a series and it had about 6 seasons with different themes. One of the marma desam series, “vidathu Karupu” deserves a special mention.

The show had the horror thriller feel to it, it was also one of the most viewed TV show of that time. It used to be very mysterious, everyone in my family used to try predicting the turn of events in the show. My dad guessed it all correctly. I didn’t get much chance.



8. Jungle book
this was just a cartoon series not a TV show, but it was one of my childhood favorites, so it gets a spot.
if you didn't watch jungle book in 1990s as a Kid, you really have missed something in your life.



This is just the shows that came to my mind from top of my head. there were a plenty more.  I might post some of the others in later posts.


Courtesy :  All clips are from YouTube. I do not own any of the clips featured in this blog. 


5 comments:

Archimonde said...

dafuq! where's Shaktimaan, Junior G and Captain Vyom?

CHIBI said...

@archimonde : dude, i was never really a fan of Shaktimaan or junior G.. Captain Vyom was good, but as i said, the shows i posted were the ones that popped up on my head as i was writing.

Sinduja said...

Awww Chibi!

Thank you soooo much for this list. Really brought all the memories back. If not for anything else, the Alif Laila one! Would be awake bearing mom's scoldings only to watch this one. And only a few weeks back, I sang this title song to my friend in jest. Lol. Epic! Thnx a ton. Pl embed the sharing option in your posts.

CHIBI said...

@Sindu : yup.. good old memories.. these shows makes me wonder what's happening with indian media now.. are they providing such education oriented shows?

P.S. i have enabled sharing option. :D

Vanshi... said...

Hiii Chibi...

Do hav the Britannia milk bikis TV commercial... I really searched for it but cudnt get it anywhere...