Since the inception of Indian small-screen industry, there have been some golden moments in the history. Serials like Buniyaad, Humlog and Malgudi Days won hearts and are still missed. Here are some snapshots.
Who can forget Lajo ji in Buniyaad or Swami in Malgudi Days, these characters have carved a special place in our hearts. Serials like Ramayan, Mahabharata, Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Nukkad, Rajni, Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne, to name a few belong to the golden era of television which we miss a lot. Here's a look at some of the forgotten oldies from the small screen...
Buniyaad was one of the oldest drama-series on Indian television. The serial was directed by Ramesh Sippy and Jyoti Sarup.
Hum Log a serial based on an Indian middle class family and their daily struggles and aspirations, was the first Indian television soap. The serial was aired on Doordarshan in 1984.
Rajani starring the late actress Priya Tendulkar, was directed by Basu Chatterjee.
Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi written by Sharad Joshi and directed by SS Oberoi and Raman Kumar was a very popular serial in the early 80s.
Mr Yogi was based on an MBA student from America Yogesh Ishwarlal Patel who meets 12 girls and tries to select one as his bride.
Karamchand was a popular detective TV serial in the 1980s. It was broadcast on DD National, and was one of India's first detective series. Pankaj Kapur portrayed the role of detective Karamchand and Sushmita Mukherjee played the role of his assistant Kitty.
Udaan starring Kavita Chaudhary was aired on DD National in 1990. The serial was inspired by the true story of Kanchan Choudhary, who after several hardships went to become the first female Director General of Police. It also starred Shekhar Kapur in a cameo.
Post Udaan she was seen as Lalita ji in an advertisement which became very popular.
Tamas starring Om Puri, Amrish Puri, Deepa Sahi, A K Hangal, Dina Pathak and Saeed Jaffrey was based on partition and was launched in 1986.
Ramayan an adaptation of the Indian epic was directed by Ramanand Sagar. The 78-episode series was aired weekly on Doordarshan in 1987 and was hugely popular.
He-Man was a very popular animated series on Doordarshan.
Nukkad was aired on Doordarshan during the late 80s. The serial was directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Akhtar Mirza, and was written by Prabodh Joshi.
Mirza Ghalib, a serial based on the legendary poet by the same name was produced by Gulzar. Naseeruddin Shah played the role of Ghalib in the serial which also featured ghazals sung and composed by Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh.
Malgudi Days one of the most liked series even today, was based on the works of R.K. Narayan. The series was directed by actor and director, Shankar Nag. Swami a character from the series Swami and Friends became very popular. He portrayed the growing pangs of a boy who despises school, as he makes excuses and roams around Malgudi with his friends.
Mungeri Lal Ke Haseen Sapne directed by Prakash Jha revolved around the life of Mungeri Lal. The serial was based on James Thurber's novel The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
King Khan of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan made his debut with Fauji, which was aired on DD National in 1988. The concept focused on a batch of trainees into a commando school, their training and eventual induction as soldiers.
Bharat Ek Khoj was a 53 episode television series directed by Shyam Benegal. The series dramatically unfolded the history of India. The serial was based on a book written by the historian and the first Prime Minister of independent India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, titled The Discovery of India.
Mahabharat was a successful adaptation of the Indian epic The Mahabharata. The 94-episode series was aired on Doordarshan in 1988. The serial was produced by B R Chopra and was directed by his son, Ravi Chopra.
Chanakya was a 47-part historical drama written and directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi that was telecast on DD National from September 1991 to August 1992. The series was a fictionalised account of the life and times of Indian economist, strategist and political theorist Chanakya.
Tenali Rama was based on Birbal of South India, Garlapati Tenali Ramakrishna.
Vikram Aur Betaal based on the mythological stories of ancient India was aired on Doordarshan in 1988.
Talaash starred actors like Alok Nath, Moushmi Chaterjee and Vijayendra Ghatge.
Wagle Ki Duniya starring actors like Anjan Shrivastav and Bharati Achrekar was launched in 1988.
Flop Show was a comedy that was aired on Doordarshan in 1989. The show was written and directed by Jaspal Bhatti and produced by his wife Savita Bhatti.
Shrimaan Shrimati was a sitcom starring late actor Jatin Kanakia, Rakesh Bedi, Reema Lagoo and Archana Puran Singh in the lead roles.
Surabhi the popular TV show hosted by Renuka Shahane and Siddharth Kak showcased different aspects of Indian culture.
Byomkesh Bakshi starring Rajit Kapoor and K K Raina was the critically acclaimed television adaptation of a Bengali detective literature by the same name. The show was directed by Basu Chatterjee.
Sea Hawks starred now Bollywood star R Madhavan, Om Puri, Nikki Aneja and Milind Soman. The show was directed by Anubhav Sinha.
Dekh Bhai Dekh was a sitcom based on a family that consisted of 11 members, aged between 6 to 65 years. The serial took the viewer through the various ups and downs faced by the family and through crazy and unexpected things which happened to them with unfailing regularity.
The Sword of Tipu Sultan was first broadcast on the Doordarshan channel in the year 1990. The serial was based on a novel by Bhagwan Gidwani.
Alif Laila was based on the stories from The Arabian Nights. The serial was produced by Sagar Films.
Chandrakanta starring Shikha Swaroop, Shahbaaz Khan and Irfan Khan became popular instantly. The serial was based on the novel Chandrakanta and was aired on DD National.
Tara starring Navneet Nishan was based on the trials and tribulations, happiness and sorrow of the main character, Tara. The series was known as the first ever contemporary Indian soap on women. It also became the first Indian drama series that ran for five long years.
Hum Paanch an Indian sitcom was aired in 1995. The serial was based on a middle class white collar worker, Anand Mathur and his five daughters. The serial also starred Vidya Balan.
Raja Aur Rancho was based on a detective Raja and his companion monkey Rancho.
Shanti the serial was launched in 1994 and starred Mandira Bedi.
Swaabhimaan was directed by Mahesh Bhatt and scripted by Shobha De. The soap opera starring Rohit Roy, Kitu Gidwani and Anju Mahendru was launched in 1995.
Office Office, starring Pankaj Kapur was a series based on corruption and bribery in government offices.
Ghar Ek Mandir a daily soap by Balaji Telefilms was based on a middle class family. It starred Gautami and Ram Kapoor.
Star Trek was also a very popular series on Doordarshan.
The Jungle Book was a hugely popular animated series based on the book The Jungle Book written by Rudyard Kipling.
Street Hawk was an American television series that was also aired on Doordarshan. The series was 13 episodes long.
TaleSpin an American animated television series was based on the fictional city of Cape Suzette. The series was aired in 1990.
DuckTales an American animated television series was based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series.
