Remembering the good, olden Doordarshan days

[PRATHAM]

It might be raining new television shows and entertainment channels, but the present generation of actors still look back fondly at the early days of India's soap culture. They recall the thrills and highs of watching the classic serials on Doordarshan.


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The first among these shows were Ramayana and Mahabharat based on great epics of Hindu mythology. Many viewers started worshipping the actors portraying the roles of Ram and Krishna. But there was much more than this that attracted people towards the newly introduced 35mm shows. Serials like Buniyaad, Nukkad, Hum Log, Circus, Fauji and Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi are few names that can easily be remembered with delight.

For actor Rohit Roy serials like Buniyaad and Hum Log will always be cherished. Though he accepts that the entertainment industry has gone through a transformational phase over the years, he says that it's always in quantitative terms rather than qualitative.

Recalling the old series Hum Log, Roy says, "Earlier, the basic concept of the serial used to be to depict the real picture of our country. Can a middle-class woman relate to any of the characters they see in serials being telecast today? Unfortunately, the answer is no."

Roy adds that most of the serials are shot in huge houses, with actors adorning expensive clothes and in the name of plots what you get to see are the same cliched stories. "Most of these illusory things don't exist in our real society at all. Hum Log was the story of a lower middle-class family and its trials and tribulations. Similar was the case with Buniyaad," he says.


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Actor and singer Karan Oberoi agrees. He appreciates the technological development in the industry, but feels the storyline of most of the shows have seen a drastic decline. According to him, there's no zing in the present roles. Moreover, he thinks 10 years down the line no one will remember the serials that are being made today, but everyone who witnessed the initial days of TV would remember the classic series that appeared on Doordarshan.

"Can any actor stand at par with the comic role that Satish Shah portrayed in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi?" Oberoi says, comparing the quality of acting in both periods. "There's no one," he adds. However, Karan reacts positively about the initial shows on private channels.

"The earlier shows that Zee TV came up with were good. Later, Sailaab and Saaya were among those few serials that can be considered as a benchmark before the rapid deterioration of the content in the serials," Oberoi adds.

Among the fresh bunch of actors, while many think the old industry was good, there are some who are happy with the present industry as well. Sharad Malhotra, who gained popularity through his serial Banoo Main Teri Dulhann and Rucha Gujrati of Bhabhi fame are happy with the way the industry is growing. Rucha believes that the present day industry is providing a wide platform to many youngsters.

"It is wrong to compare the periods of TV, every period has its own charm and relevance. Back in the 80s, we started from scratch. It had nothing that it could be compared with, but no one can deny the progress that the current industry is witnessing," says Rucha.

Sharad adds, "In the 80s, one of the reason that TV got so popular was the novelty factor. Now, it has grown massively both financially and technically." Though, these actors praise the existing industry, they can't deny the popularity of classic shows.

"Circus, Gul Gulshan Gulfam and Nukkad are some of the serials that come instantly to my mind when I think of the good old days of Doordarshan. Those were phenomenal days when people gathered in crowds to watch the telecast of these serials. The golden era can never come back," says Sharad.

Interestingly, Rucha considers herself the "branch" of that tree whose seed was sown in the 80s. She says that the content of the shows during that era can't be reinvented. "I feel that the same old magic can be revived if the plots are given utmost importance instead of the lavish sets and dizziness-arousing camera movements. The script-writers should try to experiment and present us with something innovative beyond the saas-bahu sagas that have ruled the television industry for so long," says Rucha.