If the reach of TV is considered to be one of the components of standard of living today, we are actually moving backward in time. Correct me if I’m wrong, but what does one really get to see these days apart from canonical saanses, obmutescent bahus, errant husbands and parochial in-laws?
I feel odd writing on this topic because I’m no couch potato who has sworn undying allegiance to the idiot box. There was a time when I used to enjoy my brief stints in front of the TV. Those were the good old days of DD and Star Plus in the late 80’s/early 90’s when the entire family would sit together and bite one’s nails in tension on seeing thrillers and laugh one’s insides out on watching the laugh-a-minute comic riots. Before I get carried away, here are my 10 best TV serials/shows (5 each in Hindi and English).
Hindi
1. Ramayan
Undeniably, the first ever blockbuster on TV, this centuries-old epic of the life and times of Lord Rama takes the cake. Produced and directed by Ramanand Sagar, the 78 episodes were adapted from over a dozen book versions by various saints and literary personalities. It espoused the timeless lessons and ageless truths that are contained in our rich cultural heritage and milieu. The visual depiction was intricate and the language was aesthetic.
2. Mahabharat
Mahabharat was another great cinematic effort, this time from the legend called B.R. Chopra. The Mahabharat is about the Pandavas (5 brothers) who are the epitome of virtues and their 100 cousins, the Kauravas, who embody the seven deadly sins. The serial was lavishly mounted and amazingly realistic. It made Nitish Bharadwaj, Rupa Ganguly, Punnet Issar and Pankaj Dheer household names. Incidentally, it holds the Guiness world record for the highest viewership for any TV series so far.
3. Tamas
Based on a book by Bhisham Sahni, this gripping maze of incidents was made into a serial by Govind Nihalani. The story, set in a small town on the Northwest Frontier Province of India, chillingly recounts the mass carnage that took place prior to the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. A sweeper, Nathu (essayed brilliantly by Om Puri) is bribed by a local politician to kill a pig, supposedly for a vet doctor. The next morning, its cadaver is found at the steps of the mosque and this incident flares up an already tense town into merciless manslaughter. The killings cease after the army is called in but can the painful memories be erased or the dead brought back to life?
4. Malgudi Days
A literary masterpiece by the legendary R.K. Narayan, it remains one of the most endearing TV serials of all time for Indian viewers. The late Shankar Nag adapts the short stories from the book series of the same name. Everything about the series was fabulous, the acting, the sets, the direction and the simple style of depiction. Shankar Nag also plays the lead roles in almost all the stories except for Swami & Friends which has Master Manjunath as the main lead. The music composed by Sharang Dev is still popular to this day.
5. Nukkad
Literally translating into “Street Corner”, this was a delectable fare of the lives of the residents of a “Chawl” in Mumbai. The serial was conceived by Girish karnad and directed by Saeed Mirza. The characters were typical people we come across in our daily lives. The beauty of this serial lay in its multi-faceted characters and the extremely witty dialogues. It remains one of the best comedies ever on any Indian TV channel.
English
1. M*A*S*H
One of the best ever situational comedies ever from the west, its about the grinding work schedules of the 4077th military medical unit in the midst of The Korean War. The only other work that comes even remotely close to this brilliant comedy is Helen Keller’s “Catch 22”. This series had a huge mass appeal and its beauty lay in its ability to delicately depict comedy against the backdrop of tragedy (war) raging all around. By the way, MASH stands for “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”.
2. Remington Steele
Burt Brinckerhoff directs this thriller series with generous doses of comedy. Laura Holt (an ultra hot Stephanie Zimbalist) starts a detective agency and changes its name to “Remington Steele” to draw more clients. She bumps into a conman-cum-thief (Pierce Brosnan) who reluctantly agrees to step into the shoes of the non-existent Mr. Steele. They don’t have an ounce of anything in common and don’t see eye to eye on any issue but find themselves being physically drawn towards each other. The plots were quite intriguing and the comedy was top class – especially Brosnan’s propensity for old movie classics.
3. Yes Minister
Right Honourable Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) is a newly appointed as the minister of Administrative Affairs and is put through his paces by his Permanent Under Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne). Hacker is reform oriented and wants to ring in changes with far reaching consequences but Appleby invariably puts obstacles in his path and thwarts his ideas by any means – “sharing” of confidential information, use of veiled threats or simply confusing explanations. The 2 main characters and the absolutely delightful dialogues make it one of my all-time favourites.
4. The Crystal Maze
Whatever be their commitments, all my family members would ensure a house-full attendance for this well-crafted reality game show. Hosted by the inimitable Richard O’Brien, each episode had 2 sets of 5 contestants each who play a series of games in different zones (Aztec, Medieval, Industrial & Futuristic). Among these there were sub-groups of games like Skill, Adventure, Physical Ability, etc. Depending on the number of games successfully completed, the contestants are put in a huge transparent crystal where they have to collect as many flying gold papers as possible. Am yet to come across a game show packed in such a slick manner.
5. Small Wonder
Set in the house of an electronics engineer, it’s a terrific comedy about his latest creation – a 10 year old Gynoid (Female Robot) that’s amazingly life-like and even behaves, walks and talks like a normal human. In order to do some beta-testing, the scientist brings her to his house and all hell breaks loose. The Gynoid is highly obedient (to the extent of not heeding second orders), highly efficient and unusually reticent which often leads to hilarious consequences. This series recently “inspired” an Indian version on the same lines.
Thus Spake TiC
So, those were my top 10 picks for TV shows/serials of all time. It’s difficult to turn the clock back to recollect the exact details of the cast and crew. I was very tempted to include English classics like “The Lucy Show”, & “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and Indian shows like Siddhartha Basu’s “Quiz Time”, “The Pritish Nandy Show” and KBC but space constraints rule them out.
Hope you enjoyed reading my choices. What are yours?