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Golden Era of Doordarshan! Evergreen DD Shows That We Miss Even Today!
Doordarshan - the name of the channel itself reminds us of our childhood days, doesn't it? The 1980s & 90s, were the time, when there were no set-top boxes and the number of channels were limited. In fact, we used to stick to DD screens to watch our favourite shows (cartoon, serials or even news) - A golden era, we must say.
Recently, Doordarshan celebrated its 57th anniversary. The first telecast of the channel was on September 15, in the year 1959. From serials, historical and mythological shows to cartoon and documentaries, DD had it all. On this occasion, check out some of the interesting facts of Doordashan as well as the amazing and unforgettable shows that were telecasted on TV...
Dekh Bhai Dekh
One of the best sitcoms that was aired on Doordarshan's metro channel (DD2) on 6 May, 1993.The show had 66 episodes. It had talented actors - Sushma Seth, Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, Bhavna Balsaval, Navin Nishchol and others.
Malgudi Days
The show was based on the works of RK Narayan. Directed by Kannada actor Shankar Nag, 39 episodes were telecasted on DD. Malgudi days had amazing stories which had funny incidents that anyone could associate with the daily life!
Chandrakanta
Who can forget... Krur Singh and his dialog ‘yaku pitaji', Vishkanya, the beautiful Princess Chandrakanta (Shikha Swaroop ) and handsome Prince, Kunwar Virendra Vikram Singh (Shahbaz Khan)? Even the title track was soulful and unforgettable. The show was aired on DD National between 1994 and 1996 and had 130 episodes.
Chitrahar & Rangoli
Chitrahar was a Bollywood songs television program that was aired every Friday for half an hour, while Rangoli was aired Sunday morning at 8:00 am. These were the shows that featured a few new and old songs of Bollywood films, that none would think of giving a miss!
Ducktales & Talespin
Who can forget Uncle Scrooge and his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie's adventures from Ducktales; and Baloo, Molly, Kit, Wildcat, Rebecca from Talespin? These were the best childrens' program that, we are sure, even elders used to enjoy.
Jungle Book
Who can forget Mogli and his friends in the jungle; the title track ‘ jungle jungle baat chali hai'? This show was aired in July 1993 on DD and had 52 episodes.
Mahabharat & Ramayan
The historical shows Mahabharat and Ramayan were most loved epic dramas. Back then, some people even used to fold their hands, when they saw Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia, who played Ram and Sita, respectively, in Ramayan. It is said that the roads would be empty when they were aired!
Circus & Fauji
Circus and Fauji had Shahrukh Khan (in the lead role), who later went on to become a superstar in Bollywood. Circus, as the name suggests was set on a circus troupe that got quite popular. In Fauji, Shahrukh played the role of Lt.Abhimanyu Rai. The show based on the training of an Indian Army commando regiment.
Sea Hawks
The guy who won millions of female fans with his cute smile, Madhavan, was seen on this show, before making it big in Bollywood. The show also had Milind Soman, Om Puri and Niki Walia.
Tehkikaat, Raja Aur Rancho & Byomkesh Bhakshi
Detective
shows
like
Tehkikaat,
Raja
Aur
Rancho
&
Byomkesh
Bhakshi
were
unforgatable
as
well.
Tehkikaat
was
the
top-ranked
TV
serial
of
Doordarshan,
which
had
Vijay
Anand
and
Saurabh
Shukla
in
the
lead
role.
In
Raja
Aur
Rancho,
the
monkey
Rancho,
who
played
the
assistant
to
detective
Raja
(Ved
Thappar),
was
the
real
star
of
the
show.
Byomkesh
Bhakshi
had
Rajit
Kapur
and
KK
Raina
as
Byomkesh
Bakshi
and
Ajit
Bandyopadhyay,
respectively.
Byomkesh
became
a
national
rage.
10
Unknown
Facts
Of
Doordarshan
1.
The
experimental
telecast
of
DD
started
in
Delhi
on
15
September,
1959,
with
a
small
transmitter
and
a
makeshift
studio.
2. In 1965, DD began five-minute news bulletin.
3. Pratima Puri was the first newsreader.
4. The first TV serial was Ladoosingh Taxiwala (1976). The show starred Paintal as a Sardaar taxi driver.
5. It is said that, the Mythological/Historical shows like Ramayan (1987-88) and Mahabharat (1989-90) became so popular that roads would be empty when they were aired!
6. DD remained the sole TV broadcaster up till 1975, since its launch (Sep 15, 1959).
7. DD turned into a colour channel in 1982.
8. DD is available in 146 countries worldwide.
9. Some of the landmarks of TV: Jan 1, 1976: Commercials on TV; Aug 9, 1986: First Regional network.
10. In 2014, DD re-launched with a new theme of pink and purple. The punch line was 'Desh Ka Apna Channel'.
Well, we are sure we have missed a few of your favourite shows. Hit the comment button to share your favourite DD show...
