Childhood is defined by unadulterated joy, naivete, and innocence. Children used to turn to television for entertainment and enjoyment back in the day. When it came to watching television, children had a plethora of options, ranging from folklore, fantasy drama, supernatural drama, and televised animated series of their favourite comic book heroes. Let’s go back in time with some classic shows from the past.
The Jungle Book
If you were not a fan of the Hindi version of ‘The Jungle Book,’ your childhood must have been dull! Mowgli, Bageera, and Gulzar’s iconic song ‘Jungle jungle baat chali hai’ used to brighten our Sundays. They didn’t, did they?
Shaktimaan
Before the Marvels and DCs invaded the Indian teenagers’ drawing rooms, we had our own desi superhero, Shaktimaan. Mukesh Khanna owned the double character of a country bumpkin, Gangaram and Shaktimaan with equal ease. We all had said ”Sorry Shaktimaan” for our bad habits. Hadn’t we?
Vikram Aur Betaal
Based on the folklore of ‘Baital Pachisi’, this show is an integral part of the collective memory of those children, who were growing up in the 90s. Arun Govil played the role of Vikramaditya and Sajjan portrayed the role of Betaal(ghost). The verbal exchange between the two protagonists and the gripping storyline made it worth a watch.
Shaka Laka Boom Boom
Is there any child, growing up in the 90s, who did not harbor a secret wish of having the magic pencil from this show ‘Shaka Laka Boom Boom’? Vishal Solanki, Kinshuk Vaidya, Hansika Motwane, Rahul Joshi… all these child stars became quite popular during the show.
Son Pari
This show was the fantasy drama of our childhood days. Little girl Fruity and her fairy goddess played by the beautiful Mrinal Dev Kulkarni, made the children glue to the television set. The show had a feel-good charm about it, which was typically a 90s feature.
