NEW DELHI: In the 1980s, TV programming in India was synonymous with Doordarshan. Before the advent of private networks, India’s only public service broadcaster was also its prime source of entertainment. Epic shows like Ramayana and Mahabharata as well as serialized dramas like Hum Log, Buniyaad and Malgudi Days marked the heyday of Doordarshan – India’s homegrown proto-Netflix.
Director Jagan Puri’s new comedy, Doordarshan, reverts back to that forgotten time. Unfolding in Delhi, the film tells the story of a family stuck between the present and the past.
When the grandmother (Dolly Ahluwalia) wakes from a comatose state, the remaining members conspire to protect her from shock. They install an old television set in her room and convince her she’s still living in the past. The film, which shares its premise with the 2003 German film Good Bye, Lenin!, stars Mahie Gill and Manu Rishi in the lead, with supporting turns by Rajesh Sharma, Supriya Shukla and Shardul Rana.
“I wrote the film in 2011,” shares Gagan, who had previously directed the horror thriller The Past. “I grew up in Delhi in the late 80s. Shows like Krishi Darshan, Chitrahaar and the radio programme Binaca Geetmala defined my childhood. We had an analogue TV set at home where I watched classic films like Raaj Kumar’s Neel Kamal (1968).”
In addition to small screen nostalgia, Gagan wanted to capture the disintegration of family structures. With the economic liberation of the 1990s, Indian families moved away from joint to nuclear units. Fast-paced city life replaced the collective existence of old. Delhi, though, remained a mixture of generations and aspirations. Gill, who grew up in Chandigarh, relates to the film’s slice-of-life tone.
The actor says she wanted to break free of her ‘sensuous’ tag – a label that has followed her from Dev. D and the Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster franchise to more recent works. In Doordarshan, she plays Priya, a boisterous woman who wants a divorce from her husband. Gill says, “It’s full of situational humour. I’m not doing buffoonery or making faces. It was a perfect script for me to try something different.”
Gill recalls the golden age of Doordarshan and its quality programming. “You had such varied and engaging shows – from Vikram Aur Betal and Karamchand to Dekh Bhai Dekh and Fauji. Today, television writing has become focused on specific audience groups. Back then, you could watch these shows with the entire family. It was a hugely communal experience.”
Gill’s co-star, Manu Rishi Chaddha, has been a part of several iconic Delhi films. He’s best remembered as the street-smart sidekick Bangali from Dibakar Banerjee’s Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (2008). Other mentions would include Ankhon Dekhi and Kya Dilli Kya Lahore.
As a writer, his credits include Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (dialogues), Rajma Chawal, Nanu Ki Jaanu and others. Recently, Manu played the role of Gajraj Rao’s brother in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan.
“In my 20-year career, Doordarshan is the first film where someone has cast me in the lead,” Manu shares, “Our producers (Ritu and Sandeep Arya) could have opted for a big star. But they trusted me because of my familiarity with the milieu.”