Page 49 - Seniorstoday January 2024 Issue

quirks and always hilarious reactions to were known by their screen names like
day to day domestic situations.
Fauji:
Now famous for being Shah Rukh Khan’s
debut, this 1989 show, directed by Colonel
Raj Kapoor, the show in DD National
was about training of an Indian Army
commando regiment. It was a simple and
watchable show about the recruits, their
training, struggles, friendships, rivalries
and hassles. It had just 13 episodes, but
remains in the memory of those who
watched it. Shah Rukh Khan was bumped
up from second lead to protagonist, because
“the camera loved him”, according to
Colonel Kapoor.
Nukkad:
A quintessential Mumbai series, directed
by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Kundan Shah,
it was about a group of street dwellers
and their problems. The actors Dilip
Dhawan, Pavan Malhotra, Rama Vij,
Avtar Gill, Sameer Khakhar and others
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #55 | JANUARY 2024
Khopdi, Kaderbhai and Ghanshu for years.
The show romanticised poverty but also
humanised the people nobody really cares
about in the city, so they form a community
for themselves.
Bharat Ek Khoj:
Only Shyam Benegal could have put
together a talented star cast – Naseeruddin
Shah, Om Puri, Roshan Seth, Mita
Vashisht—to name a few, and a team of
writers to bring Jawaharlal Nehru’s book,
The Discovery of India, covering 5000
years of Indian history to the television
screen. The 53-episode show was grand,
well-researched and educative. Production
designer Nitish Roy along with Samir
Chanda and Nitin Desai built 144 sets; the
costumes were rich and authentic, and
the acting first rate. Anyone who needs a
refresher course on history would do well
to watch this series.
Mirza Ghalib:
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