Doordarshan in its spree to re-run old classic shows has brought back two more daily soaps -- Buniyaad and Shriman Shrimati. No new episodes of TV shows are on-air as the production is on halt due to lockdown. The announcement of rerunning iconic mythological shows -- Ramayan and Mahabharat sent social media into nostalgia. The subsequent announcement of Dekh Bhai Dekh, Circus, Byomkesh Bakshi, Shaktimaan and other old classics have also eased the stress of citizens during the lockdown. These shows which first went on air when Indian television was in its infant stage are no less than pure gold. They set the standards, which unfortunately wasn't followed by the shows that came in later years.
Whether Buniyaad, Mahabharat, Ramayan or Dekh Bhai Dekh and Shriman Shrimati, they brought the families together to enjoy the ritual of watching TV.
Buniyaad
Buniyaad was one of the finest family dramas we have ever seen in the history of Indian television. Now, when the definition of family drama is being altered by new TV shows, this Ramesh Sippy and Jyoti's directorial set the standard for the drama shows. Ramesh Sippy, who ventured into the television with the show, was already a big name in the movies with Sholay, Shaan, Saagar and several others. The series was written by Manohar Shyam Joshi and revolved around the 1947 partition period and its aftermath. The first episode went on air in 1986.
Buniyaad was close to the hearts of the older generation which lived through the partition. Besides the emotional connection, Buniyaad was known for its distinct characters, real settings and detailed writing.
Buniyaad re-telecast time
Veteran actor Dalip Tahil, who acted in Buniyaad expressed his wish of re-running his show. Sharing a still from the series on Twitter, he wrote: "Well, since we're going retro with #Mahabharat & #Ramayana, could we also request for reruns of #Buniyaad on @DDNational? #80sshows"
Now, on public demand, DD National has decided to re-telecast Buniyaad every day at 5 PM on the channel.
Buniyaad: Characters and the actors who played them:
- Alok Nath- Master Haveliram
- Anita Kanwar-Lajwanti
- Mazhar Khan- Roshanlal
- Neena Gupta- Rajjo
- Soni Rajdan- Sulochana
- Dilip Tahil- Kulbhushan
- Rajesh Puri- Munshi Ji
- Kanwaljit Singh- Satbir
- Krutika Desai-Mangla
- Shernaz Patel-Kukki
- Kiran Juneja- Veeravali
Shrimaan Shrimati
Shrimaan Shrimati was one of the early shows to give the dose of comedy to the audience, which was recently exposed to the television world. The sitcom starring late actors Reema Lagoo and Jatin Kanakia besides Archana Puran Singh and Rakesh Bedi was originally aired between 1994-98. Written by Ashok Patole and directed by Rajan Waghdhare, Shrimaan Shrimati was produced by Adhikari Brothers (Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari). Shrimaan Shrimati, which revolved around the premise of "love thy neighbor's wife" was first of its kind. Later, several TV shows followed the same concept, including Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai.
Reacting on the rerun of her show, Archana Puran Singh told indianexpress.com she is happy that the current generation will be able to see the cult show. “People are still aware of the show. People still watch it on YouTube and talk about its characters. I believe the show hasn’t lost viewership over the years. However, reintroducing the show will only get it more traction. I am happy that this generation will be able to see something that was part of the first set of entertainment shows in India,” the actor said.
Rakesh Bedi, who played an important role in the TV show, feels that the timing of Shrimaan Shrimati to go on air again couldn’t be better. Elaborating the reason, the actor shared with Hindustan Times: “It will add a lot of favour and humour in everybody’s life, as everyone is so sombre right now. Humein aaj 15-20 din ho gaye hai, paper main, news main, humare ghar main, apas main, hum ek hi topic pe baat kiye ja rahe hain aur woh bhi darr ke".
Archana is planning to video call Rakesh to enjoy the first episode together.
Shrimaan Shrimati characters
- Jatin Kanakia-Keshav Kulkarni
- Reema Lagoo-Kokila Kulkarni
- Archana Puran Singh-Prema Shalini
- Rakesh Bedi-Dilruba Jarnail Singh Khurana
- Ajay Nagrath-Chintu
Shrimaan Shrimati re-telecast time
Shrimaan and Shrimati will air on DD National at 4 PM every day. You can also enjoy the show on DD Bharti at 9 PM.
As per the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has made it mandatory for DTH/Cable operators to show all the DD Channels besides Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha channels.