Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that an invisible and deadly virus would confine us to our homes and slow down our busy lives. Blaise Pascal, the famous French mathematician and physicist, once said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Indeed, time was lying heavy on our hands. As we were coming to terms with the changing trajectory of our humdrum lives, Doordarshan decided to invade our homes again with an authority it once had three decades ago. The channel was relegated to the dustbin of irrelevance in the 90s as it failed to compete with private channels in the entertainment sweepstakes.
Life has now come full circle again. Doordarshan is now re-telecasting two Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, which gained huge popularity in the 80s. It is taking us back in time as a wave of nostalgia washes over us. Forget the languid pace, shoddy editing and gross overacting, the visual re-telling of these epics continue to keep us glued to our sofas as drawing rooms get colonised again with people cutting across generations. From the grandfather and grandmother to their children and grandchildren, the hold of these timeless epics over our lives is palpable.
The belief that today’s youngsters may not take a shine to these epics has been considerably proved wrong. The sight of arrows and sharp weapons clashing against each other in the sky; kings killing the evil demons—it is being excitedly lapped up by the kids. With both these serials telecast twice a day, even those working from home catch up on the episodes at their convenience. Apart from these two serials, there are a couple of popular DD serials that are being re-telecast.
One of these is the 90s serial Circus starring Shah Rukh Khan. A struggling actor at that time, it was Shah Rukh’s spontaneous energy and gripping presence in the serial that made him a lovable character. The simple art of storytelling and impressive acting in these serials made them unforgettable.There is good news for kids as a popular kids’ TV serial of the 90s, Shaktimaan, will soon be aired on Doordarshan. Indeed, they have plenty to look forward to in these uncertain times when news of deaths and devastation being wrought by an invisible enemy keeps us on tenterhooks.
Aditya Mukherjee Email: mukherjee.dashing@gmail.com