Its iconic background score was the handiwork of Carnatic musician L Vaidyanathan while acclaimed cartoonist RK Laxman did the illustrations that appeared with the credit. Based on the novel by legendary RK Narayan, the TV series (aired in 1986) was directed by Kannnada actor Shankar Nag. The charming tales of simple folks from the fictional town of Malgudi remains one of the best-loved moments of growing up in the 1980s. Realistic with powerhouse performances by Om Puri, Deepa Sahi, Bahraj Sahni and Dina Pathak and with music by the Benegal veteran Vanraj Bhatia, the series was a controversial but well-received TV series. Tamas (1988)ĭirected by Govind Nihalani and based on Hindi novel by writer Bhisham Sahni, the serial was based the Partition and told the story of a Hindu and Sikh couple.

And featuring in them were some of best talents from Bollywood and theatre – Utpal Dutt, Shammi Kapoor, Om Puri, Saeed Jaffrey, Waheeda Rehman, Moushumi Chatterjee, Supriya Pathak, Vijayendra Ghatge, Parikshit Sahni, etc. Yet another popular TV series directed by veteran director Shyam Benegal and several others and based on short stories by famous writers from world literature - Guy De Maupassant, Rabindranath Tagore, Leo Tolstoy, O Henry, Anton Chekov among many others. A TV series based on the training of Indian Army officers, the series was an instant hit, mostly with girls. Who can forget Lajoji and Haveliram! Fauji (1989)Īh, Fauji! The serial that would give Bollywood its next big superstar after Madhuri Dixit -– Shah Rukh Khan. With theatre-honed talents such as Alok Nath, Anita Kanwar, Sulekha Sikri, Sudhir Pandey and a legion of good Bollywood talent like Soni Razdan, Vijayendra Ghatge and Kiran Juneja, the serial was a hit from the word go. It was a hugely popular TV serial that sealed Doordarshan’s fate as the primary broadcaster in the 1980s. Manohar Shyam Joshi was back on TV with another family drama called Buniyaad, unfolding during partition and in the period that immediately follows. It starred Roshan Seth (playing Nehru, who else but him!), and actors like Om Puri and Pallavi Joshi, Kulbushan Karbanda playing important roles, it was engaging if elite content. This Shyam Benegal-directed serial, based on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India, wasn't popular but remains an important milestone in television historical dramas. Remember characters like Nanhe, Basesar Ram, Badki and Chutki? Who can forget the monologue at the end of every episode where actor Ashok Kumar discussed the happenings and end it with the punchline ‘Hum Log’. Tracing the lives of the members of a lower middle class family, the aspirations and problems would soon find a taker in all. Written by Manohar Shyam Joshi, Hum Log was India's first soap opera.

Tamil serial aunty geeth