The one thing everyone in India agrees upon unanimously, or maybe not, is that Indian television is hitting new lows year after year. We are quick to jump to conclusions when it comes to Indian TV shows because, to be honest, they are turning banal with each passing episode. The latest fad is the sudden influx of these bizarre supernatural elements in every serial which makes us instinctively say, “Are you serious?”
But this was not the case always right? We do remember watching serials that were crisp, had good content, and most importantly were not never-ending like the ones we have today. We cannot bring them back (how I wish we could) but we can take a trip down the memory lane to bring that nostalgic smile back to our faces. Here is a list of a few old Indian TV serials we wish to come back to. Feel free to tell us your favorites through the comments section.
Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai
Probably the best comedy family drama to grace our TV screens was this gem. From Monisha’s middle-class one-liners to Maya’s classy parlance; from Rosesh’s epic poems to Indravadhan’s astute comments, everything about the series made us ardent fans of this classic.
Office Office
Mussaddilal’s ordeal dealing with the lethargic officials of government to get his trivial jobs done tickled our funny bones to the core. It was a pungent satire on the inefficiency of the public sector and won laurels to its name for many years. Watch it on SonyLiv.
Family No.1
When two quirky families lived under the same roof it led to so many hilarious situations. Family No.1 was a great comedy series about two families always competing with each other to be crowned as the ultimate family no.1. This sitcom will always be remembered for its witty dialogues and characters.
Shakalaka Boom Boom
The first image which instinctively comes to our mind thinking about this serial is Sanju’s magic pencil which almost all of us yearned for as a child. The magic pencil brought every drawing to life leaving all of us awe-struck longing for it. Sanju’s mini-adventures with his pencil made this show our favorite.
Shararat
‘SHRING BHRING SARVALING, BHOOT BHAVISHYA VARTANMAAN BADLING’
Do these words sound familiar? Yes, they do; because all of us spent our lovely afternoons watching Shararat on StarPlus almost 15 years ago. The story revolved around 3 generations of fairies who possessed supernatural powers for performing magic by just snapping their fingers. Nani, played by Farida Jalal was the heart of the show who managed to tease her son-in-law Suraj quite easily and funnily enough.
Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi
Our desi version of ‘Ugly Betty’, aired on Sony TV in 2003 and became an instant hit among the masses; making Mona Singh a household sweetheart and capitulating her career to new heights. It was a story of a middle-class Punjabi girl who faced a string of rejections, despite her academic brilliance, before landing a job for herself. We desperately wish to have Jassi back in our lives and also on our TV screens. Watch it on SonyLiv.
Remix
Remix can never get old for us. The four students of the 12th standard of Maurya High School; Tia, Anvesha, Yuvraj, and Ranveer met us through Remix and have never left our hearts since then. This youth-based show made an indelible spot in our hearts and on the TRP charts. Remix definitely redefined the way the youth of the country was presented on television. It was not merely a show, but a stressbuster.
It definitely shattered our hearts when these shows decided to wrap up one fine day. The end of these shows left television with nothing and gave all of us reasons to flock to web series and shows on YouTube and Netflix. We can just hope that television gets back to its heyday with newer and relatable content; with a 2.0 version. Till then we have Google and YouTube for an occasional spew of nostalgia, right?