Friday, October 9, 2009

10 forgotten but awesome TV Shows



Off late I have come across many blog posts which take us down memory lane to the early 90s or late 80s discussing some of the legendary television shows of those times. However, they often miss some shows which might not have been blockbusters but which played their own unique role in the evolution of Indian television. Here is a list of few that I could recall:

1. Space City Sigma
I am not sure what was the period of its telecast but I remember this show being telecast at around 11 am on Sundays. It can well qualify as my first brush against science fiction. I still remember that for a long time I was convinced that the aliens in the show are men with wheat dough (atta) on their heads.

2. Stone Boy
It was a mini series if I am not wrong. The story of a tribal boy in Mauritius who turned into a stone due to a curse and later, his return to human world for 14 days. It still remains one of the most interesting story lines I have seen in a children's show.

3. Raju aur Udantashtari
This one used to telecast at around 2 pm when the rainbow colored waiting screen gave way to the revolving doordarshan logo followed by the news and then this show. This one dealt with some UFO landing on earth and getting spotted by a small boy.

4. Ank Ajoobe
Part of the summer vacation package "Chhutti Chhutti" for a long time and later an independent show on DD Metro this was one truly inspiring and unique shows which combined academics and entertainment. Am yet to see another show repeat the feat.

5. Katha Sagar
Long before shows like Rishtey and Gubbare featured on Zee and Star Bestsellers came on Star Plus, DD had a very similar show which consisted of inspiring stories or classics turned into single episode tales. With some of the best actors of all times lending their performances to this show, I am sure its archives are a treasure of acting.

6. Param Veer Chakra
Never has a show given me as many goosebumps as this one. Army being my childhood ambition, this was a show I never missed. Packed with brilliant performances once again, it had a beautiful theme song -"Shaan teri kabhi kam na ho.....Ae watan..."

7. Wagle ki Duniya
I don't remember a thing from this one but I used to call Anjan Srivastav as Wagle for a long time. Seems it was a comedy woven around a household.

8. Tehkikaat
By far the second best detective show to feature on Indian television (after Byomkesh Bakshi of course), I think this was the show that made Saurabh Shukla a public figure.

9. Udaan
Perhaps inspired by Kiran Bedi, this was an inspiring story of a girl who dared to become a Police officer. The protagonist's role was played by the same lady who featured as "Usha Jee" in the super popular Surf ad of the same era.

10. The Morning Transmission - Jee Saheb
With Deepak Vohra and a puppet as its anchors, I remember many mornings of my early days beginning with the show.

(to be continued...)

23 comments:

  1. Sirji... puraani yaadein taaza kar di (esp Stone boy... jahaan humaara hero gaana gaata hai raat mein to put the stone boy to life!!). In Tehkikaat, you forgot Vijay Anand as Sam D'Silva.

    Gayab Aaya was another one with Indian animation.

    And who would forget the smash hit Raja aur Rancho!!!

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  2. Yaar senti kar diya is post ne. Keep going...

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  3. Anonymous9:48 PM

    stone boy was really one of the best tv show for children at our time..
    thankx for reminding that era again

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  4. Yeh jo hai jindagi..Satish ko bhul gaye? Nukkad? And the Sas bhi kabhi bhau thi of those time...Hum Log!

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  5. @Pradhaan Mantri
    Bhooley nahi.......in fact i deliberately didnt use those names as those serials are not the forgotten ones...they are the first names that come to mind....whereas here i wanted to list a few of those which not everyone remembers....

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    1. Hi shashank
      Buddy TBC the post but I have one request to you after reading your post I remember a children telefilm which was of around 10 to 15 episodes. The plot of the series was like this
      1. 4/3 friends, just passed SSC 10 TH STD in Bombay. They fail to get admission in their choice of junior v college (I.e 11th n 12th std) due to not getting 85% above marks. They have between 80% n 85%.

      2. They get disheartened but the main character among the friends has a grandfather as a guide n philosopher. The grandfather advises the friends to go on a cycling trip around India. The four or three friends like the idea and embark on cycles.

      3. The rest of the episodes are about their different experiences in different places of India, mostly south India.

      Buddy, do you recall the name of this serial as it is very faint in my memory. Mostly it was not retelecast. The year of its screening was mostly between 1990-1993.
      It's so rare that I have just vague memories about it with no names. It's mostly children oriented serial like stone boy.
      I'll be grateful if any one who reads this'd blog recalls it's name or atleast remembered seeing something similar

      Pls email me on
      samarkants@yahoo.com
      If you get any reference

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  6. This one is really nostalgic post. Sigma and Sakti. yeah! And what about Neev and He Man - The Master of Universe..and Doosra Kewal (Sharukh Khan) and Bharat Ek Khoj and many others.

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  7. Anonymous2:11 PM

    How about Neev? It had a boarding school setup. I think it ran in 1990-91 probably around the same time as udaan.

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  8. Wow I almost have tears in my eyes. I remember all these from when I was growing up and cable TV had not infiltrated our country.

    Wake up, go to school, come back and watch some serials in the afternoon and night. On sunday, watch Ramayana or Mahabharata in the morning and then who knows? Jantar Mantar, Space City Sigma, Vishwamitra, Stone Boy etc. Another ones I remember are Quile Ka Rahasya, Neem Ka Ped etc.

    All of India watched one channel, good or bad, which was a unifying force.

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  9. Raju aur Udantashtari, Stone Boy, Tehkikat, Param Veer Chakra... wowww... goosebumps and moist eye!

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  10. Street hawk..
    Tarang..
    Gayab aaya..
    Alif laila..
    Ank ajube..
    Surabhi
    Potli baba ki
    Ek se badkar ek
    Choo mantar..
    Gul gulshan gulfom
    Tehkikaat
    Param vir chakra
    Udaan
    Wagle ki duniya
    Mungerilal ke haseen sapne
    Raju aur udantashtri
    He man
    Nukkad...chanakya

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  11. raja or rancho, mausi aur pc :) ty for that list, i wonder if i could watch them somewhere now like doordarshan archives!!!!

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  12. Lady bird cycle kI ad wali ladki yaad hai????

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  13. Indradhanush too... was amazing one. Remote control used to vanish people.

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  14. Best days of our lives.. Also chandrakanta was one show we loved as kids.. Kruur singh.. Yakkuu.. Haha..

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  15. Also chandrakanta as one.of the shows we grew up to.. Krur singh yakku maharaj hahaha.. Stone boy :( good old days

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  16. Best days of our lives.

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  17. Golden Era's remembrance.............

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  18. Dekh Bhai Dekh & Reporter by Sekhar Suman...
    Shaktimaan by Mukesh Khanna
    Byomkrsh Bakshi by Rajit Kapoor
    Turning Point
    Jungle Book
    Sunday's Disney Time
    The Little Mermaid
    Allahdin

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  19. Tamas, swabhiman, TIPU sultan, Junoon, Ajnabi,

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  20. Awesome !! Too much nostalgic.. . I liked that serial too which used to come at 10 am on weekdays.along with tarang.. some laal bujhjhakkad chaacha n geetu rani wala..they used to teach scientific gadgets..simple ones..like periscope :)

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    1. Kyo aur kaise was the name if the daily show having gopu,geetu and lal bujhakkad chacha.
      Geetu had a favorite dialogue "buddhuram nahi..geetu rani"
      Lal bujhakkad was Virendra rajdan...aka vidur

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