25 years since 'Shanti-Ek Aurat ki kahaani'
Hi folks,
Anybody out there remember probably the first mega serial aired by Doordarshan (Hindi) named Shanti in the year 1994? Iam sure many of the previous generations will still remember the first ever, iconic daily soap opera, which was broadcast in DD (Doordarshan) every afternoon on week days thus setting a trend. Before that, the Hindi serials used to be aired on a weekly basis. Serials like Hum Log, Buniyaad, Nukkad, Ramaayan, Mahabhaarat, Fauji, Circus( Fauji and Circus were serials which marked the acting career of Shah Rukh Khan before becoming the big-screen king), Byomkesh Bakshi, Shakthimaan, Bikram-Betaal, Kacche Dhoop, are just a few to name those once-a-week episode stories. One can understand how impatiently viewers need to wait for one week to watch the next episode every time, which looks inconceivable at the present. Barring the mythological and crime series, the story line or the plots were simple and of course family-oriented and there were no scheming, evil-minded characters/ladies to keep those episodes interesting for the viewers. Many of us are lucky to have known those serials and still remember many of the characters of those days with fondness and nostalgia. Because there were no cable channels those days, the serial time which was usually around 8-9 o' clock was when the whole family sits together for viewing . Then slowly, regional channels of DD were started, but the quality of programs were pretty good. I would have watched a handful of Malayalam serials which I do not remember much.But, given a chance, I would like to watch them again!
Coming back to Shanti, this one was aired 25 years before in 1994. The lead role was played by Mandira Bedi, who is still known even today more for her strong portrayal of a character journalist, who tries to fight the injustice meted out to her mother and herself against an influential family belonging to the film world. The assortment of other characters, many of whom having a shady past were on the other side fighting against Miss Shanti. As college goers, we would wait for our classes to finish or sometimes cut some classes so as to be on time to watch the episode each day. As the serial went on for weeks and months, I would wonder whether this will end and would she successfully fight for justice against the two protoganists Kamesh and Raj G. Singh. The other characters were Maya, Somesh, Ramesh, Shanti's colleague Vijay who falls in love with Maya, Rohan, Sasha , and Shanti's husband whom I do not remember much. All these characters were played naturally and quite well. After some months, some actors left to be replaced by new actors giving the tagline:"Chehera Badaltha hain, lekin kahaani nahin" (Faces change, but the story doesn't change). Mandira Bedi was able to carry very well the whole of the series with her powerful portrayal. I do not remember well how the serial ended. Later on, when I saw her in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le jayenge playing as a sidekick to Kajol, I felt and still feel that she should not have taken up that role!
After that, the next mega serial was Swaabhimaan, for which the script was written by Shobhaa De, was aired. This was more about the pressures of leading the life as socialites. Actress Anju Mahendru played lead role and all others playing varied roles. These early mega serials were of different calibre in which women played strong roles but not those with evil designs and vengeful thoughts just to 'destroy' the other 'family enemies' out there.
After the advent of 'K' serials started by Ekta Kapoor which was broadcast in regional languages also, the nature of mega serials underwent a huge change that I stopped watching those never-ending mega serials as I do not want my time to be 'blocked' during those hours. I found that there would not be much change in the basic plot even after watching an episode after many months. These days, each family member needs a separate TV for watching their favourite serials/programs, reality shows which have become 'unreal'. Family interaction has reduced much and it has basically split the members of each family in each home! While a section of youngsters watch English serials at a stretch season-wise in Netflix or Amazon, the older generation of ladies still continue to watch the prime-time mega serials for their own entertainment after the tireless, never-ending chores.
I still can't believe that it is 25 years since 'Shant-Ek Aurat ki Kahaani' was aired.
Love,
Deepa.
Anybody out there remember probably the first mega serial aired by Doordarshan (Hindi) named Shanti in the year 1994? Iam sure many of the previous generations will still remember the first ever, iconic daily soap opera, which was broadcast in DD (Doordarshan) every afternoon on week days thus setting a trend. Before that, the Hindi serials used to be aired on a weekly basis. Serials like Hum Log, Buniyaad, Nukkad, Ramaayan, Mahabhaarat, Fauji, Circus( Fauji and Circus were serials which marked the acting career of Shah Rukh Khan before becoming the big-screen king), Byomkesh Bakshi, Shakthimaan, Bikram-Betaal, Kacche Dhoop, are just a few to name those once-a-week episode stories. One can understand how impatiently viewers need to wait for one week to watch the next episode every time, which looks inconceivable at the present. Barring the mythological and crime series, the story line or the plots were simple and of course family-oriented and there were no scheming, evil-minded characters/ladies to keep those episodes interesting for the viewers. Many of us are lucky to have known those serials and still remember many of the characters of those days with fondness and nostalgia. Because there were no cable channels those days, the serial time which was usually around 8-9 o' clock was when the whole family sits together for viewing . Then slowly, regional channels of DD were started, but the quality of programs were pretty good. I would have watched a handful of Malayalam serials which I do not remember much.But, given a chance, I would like to watch them again!
Coming back to Shanti, this one was aired 25 years before in 1994. The lead role was played by Mandira Bedi, who is still known even today more for her strong portrayal of a character journalist, who tries to fight the injustice meted out to her mother and herself against an influential family belonging to the film world. The assortment of other characters, many of whom having a shady past were on the other side fighting against Miss Shanti. As college goers, we would wait for our classes to finish or sometimes cut some classes so as to be on time to watch the episode each day. As the serial went on for weeks and months, I would wonder whether this will end and would she successfully fight for justice against the two protoganists Kamesh and Raj G. Singh. The other characters were Maya, Somesh, Ramesh, Shanti's colleague Vijay who falls in love with Maya, Rohan, Sasha , and Shanti's husband whom I do not remember much. All these characters were played naturally and quite well. After some months, some actors left to be replaced by new actors giving the tagline:"Chehera Badaltha hain, lekin kahaani nahin" (Faces change, but the story doesn't change). Mandira Bedi was able to carry very well the whole of the series with her powerful portrayal. I do not remember well how the serial ended. Later on, when I saw her in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le jayenge playing as a sidekick to Kajol, I felt and still feel that she should not have taken up that role!
After that, the next mega serial was Swaabhimaan, for which the script was written by Shobhaa De, was aired. This was more about the pressures of leading the life as socialites. Actress Anju Mahendru played lead role and all others playing varied roles. These early mega serials were of different calibre in which women played strong roles but not those with evil designs and vengeful thoughts just to 'destroy' the other 'family enemies' out there.
After the advent of 'K' serials started by Ekta Kapoor which was broadcast in regional languages also, the nature of mega serials underwent a huge change that I stopped watching those never-ending mega serials as I do not want my time to be 'blocked' during those hours. I found that there would not be much change in the basic plot even after watching an episode after many months. These days, each family member needs a separate TV for watching their favourite serials/programs, reality shows which have become 'unreal'. Family interaction has reduced much and it has basically split the members of each family in each home! While a section of youngsters watch English serials at a stretch season-wise in Netflix or Amazon, the older generation of ladies still continue to watch the prime-time mega serials for their own entertainment after the tireless, never-ending chores.
I still can't believe that it is 25 years since 'Shant-Ek Aurat ki Kahaani' was aired.
Love,
Deepa.
Yes, I do remember that serial in which Mandira Bedi had played the lead role. Kya din the woh bhi.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Amit ji.
Deletenice write up Deep
ReplyDeleteThanks Manjula....
Delete