8 shows which we couldn't have done without in the recent times

TV shows usually have a short shelf life or disappear into oblivion after a season or two. In this rat race, some shows, nevertheless, go on to be treasured properties of the channel which a channel head won’t even imagine of taking off air as they are so dependent on them to add valuable GRP. Here we present eight contemporary shows that will go down in the history of Indian television as most memorable ones. Balika Vadhu (Colors, Sphere Origins): The serial that made its debut along with the emergence of the Colors channel immediately went on to win the hearts of the viewers. It has touchingly addressed the issue of child marriage which sadly is still practiced even today in some parts of India despite being an illegal and punishable offence. The soap didn’t lose its charm even when the child protagonists grew up. As a matter of fact, the show still gets viewers from the most uppity neighbourhoods of India to the obscure villages, even after childhood sweethearts Jagya and Anandi decided to part their ways. It’s a progressive sign that Anandi has moved on with her life to marry Shiv instead of choosing to be with a husband who had hurt her and broken her trust. C.I.D. (Sony TV, Fireworks Productions): This whodunit hour-long detective fiction format show has entertained Indian viewers for 15 long years and is still going strong. Its immense popularity has even led to the introduction of CID Chhote Heroes. Each episode ends with the firm message that one can never ever escape the noose for murder.The show, that has been tailored for family viewing, doesn’t have blood and gore while the execution of murder is deliberately not shown. The characters of all the C.I.D. officers have been etched into the minds of viewers. Crime Patrol (Sony TV, Optimystix Entertainment): For almost ten years, this crime series has been conveying the message that crime never pays. Despite the slight dramatization, it conveys the stories of the crimes which both shocked the nation and didn’t get due media coverage with great sensitivity. This well-researched show delves deep into the criminal psyche and also alerts Indian citizens how to safeguard themselves from crimes. On witnessing the TRP success of this crime series, many similar anchor-based shows have started mushrooming. None of these shows, have however, been able to surpass Crime Patrol. Bigg Boss (Colors, Endemol): Nineteen Eighty Four penned by George Orwell was a classical bestseller which showed a tyrannical government headed by Big Brother prying into the personal lives of the citizens through roving cameras and taking brutal action against those who have a different thought process from that of the autocratic government. This dystopian novel has come true in a way that Orwell had least expected it to. In the Big Brother versions around the world, the government has been replaced by the aam janta of the nations who tune in for voyeuristic pleasure of watching the tiffs, cat fights and drama of the stars who inhabit the beautifully furnished house for a few months. Though the Indian versionBigg Boss is years younger to many of the foreign versions of the show; it rakes in decent TRPs having entertained viewers year-after-year with quirky inhabitants especially like that of Rakhi Sawant, Dolly Bindra and Imam Siddique. Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (Sony TV, Balaji Telefilms): We have been used to seeing actors with physiques of body builders in soaps. Ekta Kapoor took a risk of making a middle-aged overweight man the hero of Bade Achhe Lagte Hain instead of getting yet another lean twenty something chocolate boy hunk as the hero. This experiment worked wonders and this serial will go down to be an evergreen favourite of Indian television. Sakshi Tanwar also beautifully plays Priya, the doting wife of Ram who loves her husband deeply both in richness as well as in poverty. A chubby and cute Amrita Mukherjee who plays the couple’s daughter Pihu, has added a new dimension to the soap. In fact, it is Pihu who has brought her parents closer. This soap, which initially intended to explore how couples fall in love in an arranged marriage setup, has now gone on to be one of the most touching love stories on the Indian small screen ever. Kaun Banega Crorepati: (Sony TV, Big Synergy Productions) Amitabh Bachchan, the erstwhile angry young man of yesteryear. weaves magic in his work irrespective of the medium. He easily beats Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan as far as popularity on TV is concerned. His baritone voice and magnanimous personality enamors both the participants and viewers on Kaun Banega Crorepati. Of the entire quiz contests telecast on Indian TV, this quiz show is the most memorable ever. Many regional versions of KBC have come up while some television quiz shows have been inspired by it. While quizzing was once regarded as an exercise for students, KBC has made quizzing a sport for all age groups. Speaking of the financial rewards, a contestant can walk away with a few crores in a few days time if he is an ace quizzer, which makes the Bigg Boss prize money of a crore, after enduring an ordeal of three months in the house, a paltry sum. Unlike the maligned version of KBC, which was shown in the movie Slumdog Millionaire, there is exuberance if a downtrodden person submits himself with flying colours in this national quiz contest. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (SAB TV, Neela Telefilms): Crossing 1000 episodes is no joke, especially on SAB TV where shows of late don’t usually run into years. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has however successfully crossed that milestone. As most people in metropolitan cities live in cooperative housing societies as shown in the daily soap, viewers can easily identify with it. Gokuldham Cooperative Housing Society where the story is set, may be a fictitious address, but it’s etched out a real and everlasting place in the viewers’ hearts. The close-knit community of Gokuldham CHS where neighbours from various ethnicities and religions of India reside in harmony, beautifully conveys the message of unity in diversity. Sailesh Lodha’s introspective epilogue, at the end of every episode, sweetly and precisely conveys a social message without being didactic. Comedy Circus (Sony TV, Optimystix Entertainment): No standup comedy show has been as long lasting and successful like Comedy Circus. It has run into several seasons and many a lead actor has been a part of it. This is no one man show but a team of talented artistes who make you laugh your worries away. Laughter queen Archana Puran Singh’s guffaws rings in your ears even when the show isn’t on. Every week, the performers come up with new ideas to entertain viewers exchanging a merry banter of friendly slaps with the performers. Both the old performers and new contestants are doing a fabulous job in making you rofl.