1980s Indian TV Shows

Bharat Ek Khoj is a 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru, that dramatically unfolds the 5000 year history of India from its beginnings to the coming of independence in 1947. The drama was directed, written and produced by Shyam Benegal with cinematographer V. K. Murthy in 1988 for state-owned Doordarshan. Benegal's regular script collaborator Shama Zaidi also co-wrote the script.

The life of the 13th-century Venetian explorer who sought to connect the civilizations of China and Europe through trade.

Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi was a popular comedy sitcom on Indian television, aired for the first time in 1984. It was written by comedy writer Sharad Joshi and directed by Kundan Shah, S. S. Oberoi and Raman Kumar. It was one of the first sitcoms and one of the biggest hit shows on Indian television after the state owned television, Doordarshan, started sponsoring its programs. The episodes revolved around funny happenings in the lives of Ranjit Verma and Renu Verma, who play a married couple along with Renu's unmarried and unemployed younger brother Raja and then Chachi's daughter who plays the character of Rashmi. Other characters were Ranjit's boss, his Bengali neighbours.

A dynastic struggle occurs for the throne of Hastinapur, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan, between the Kauravas and Pandavas, collateral branches of the clan, which causes the Kurukshetra War.

Ramayan is a highly successful and phenomenally popular Indian epic television series created, written, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. The 78 episode series originally aired weekly on Doordarshan from 25 January 1987, to 31 July 1988, on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. IST. It is a television adaptation of the ancient Indian Hindu religious epic of the same name and is primarily based on Valmiki's Ramayan and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas. It is also partly derived from portions of Kamban's Ramavataram and other works.

Luv Kush is an Indian television series created, written, produced, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. It is a follow-up to Sagar's highly successful Ramayan, featuring mostly the same cast and production crew. Luv Kush covers the last book, the "Uttar Kand," of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, following Ram's coronation, especially focusing on his children Luv and Kush.

## Series Overview Set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi, *Malgudi Days* brings R. K. Narayan’s celebrated stories to life through a rich collection of tales about ordinary people and everyday experiences. Blending humour, warmth, irony and social observation, the series explores childhood, family, friendship, ambition, poverty, tradition, superstition and the changing values of Indian society. From schoolboys and shopkeepers to servants, postmen, astrologers and wandering performers, each story captures the distinctive character of Malgudi while reflecting universal human emotions. Adapted from Narayan’s short stories and novels, *Malgudi Days* remains one of Indian television’s most enduring literary adaptations.

Wagle Ki Duniya (literally: 'Wagle's World') was a popular sitcom on Indian television that originally aired between 1988 and 1990. It was directed by Kundan Shah and was based on characters created by noted cartoonist R. K. Laxman, especially "the common man" about the issues of common middle-class Indian man. It starred Anjan Srivastav as a bumbling salesclerk in a multinational company and Bharati Achrekar as his wife. The series was a hit and made Anjan Srivastav a household name.

Based on the novel by Bhisham Sahni, Tamas is an epic drama set against the backdrop of riot-stricken North India on the eve of Partition in 1947. Nathu, an outcast, is hired to kill a pig, whose carcass he’s later appalled to find in front of the mosque. A riot follows and, ridden with guilt, Nathu takes his ailing mother and pregnant wife and leaves town.

The story of the most admired poet in the History of Urdu and Persian writings, Mirza Ghalib.

Flop Show is an Indian television sitcom that first aired on Doordarshan in 1989. The show was written and directed by satirical humourist Jaspal Bhatti, who also played himself as the main character. His wife Savita Bhatti produced the show and also acted in all the episodes as his wife. The sitcom was a satire on the socio-cultural problems faced by the common man in India at the time. Although only 10 episodes of the show were ever produced, the show has had a long and powerful legacy.

Vikram Aur Betaal was a children's television programme aired on DD National. The series contained stories from Indian mythology that aim at teaching kids life lessons while entertaining them. The concept of the program was based on Baital Pachisi, a collection of tales about the semi-legendary King Vikram and the Vetala, a vampire-like being.

A highly popular TV Series about the admission a batch of trainees in a commando school, their training and eventual induction as soldiers.

Circus is an Indian television series directed by Aziz Mirza. It follows the lives of the artists of the troupe, unraveling different shades of characters, as they struggle with the tricky realistic situations..

An Indian TV series dealing with the struggles of the urban youth who strive to make a living in Mumbai.

Kakaji Kahin is an Indian political satire that aired on Doordarshan in 1988. It was one of Basu Chatterjee's acclaimed works for Indian television, based on a book called Netaji Kahin by well-known author Manohar Shyam Joshi

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