If you identify as a true-blue Desi kid but deny binge-watching Kichadi and laughing at Praful's antics or chanting "Ittu Pittu Jhim Patuta" every time Sonpari came on, you are fake news!
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The 90s were a golden decade for the world of Indian television and paved the way for the creation of some of the most iconic TV shows. Back in the good old days, our biggest to-do was to rush back home from school, hurl our bags on the floor and grab the remote before anybody else could. In hindsight, this behaviour makes perfect sense considering how entertaining our TV show options were! And also, the fact that recording was not a possibility.
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Well, fortunately, technological advancements have made the task of keeping oneself entertained much more convenient in 2019. So this World Television Day, why not use modern technology to revisit some of our favourite childhood TV shows and take a trip down memory lane? Imagine recreating those beautiful yester-years, but this time, with the option of pausing and attending to nature calls whenever you please! This World Television Day, we at magicpin present to you, a guide to watching your beloved 90s TV Shows in 2019!
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This TV show is an instant time machine to days of simplicity and innocence. The title track of the show is enough to give us a strong whack of nostalgia and yearning. This classic 90s TV show based on the popular short stories of R.K. Narayan has been deemed by many as a masterpiece in the world of cinema, and we wholeheartedly agree! Lucky for us, the fictional town of Malgudi is within reach at least online!
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The OG Indian superhero of all time, Shaktimaan, was the protector we needed and the hero we deserved! From his regular news reporter persona to that strange helicopter spiral transform...thing, this show was as epic as epic gets! In the world of superheroes, Shaktimaan was always a class apart, whether we refer to his Desi origin story (superhero powers with meditation? why didn't we get the memo?!) or his costume (underwear on the inside!).
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Amazon Prime Video
How many markets and stationery shops did you meticulously sort through for that one magic pencil? How many fake Sanju pencils did you buy before realising your drawings aren't actually coming to life? This TV show was a crucial element in the childhood of an Indian 90s kid and for good reason! Flashes of that magic pencil, the relatability of Sanju's character and Hansika Motwani suddenly appearing with Himesh Reshammiya all take us back to the enchanting world of Shaka Laka Boom Boom and we aren't complaining!
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This show played a significant role in the value that we now attach to weekends as adults. Every week was practically a countdown to Saturday 9 PM when the latest episode of Shh...Koi Hai would air on TV and we would finally get our much-coveted dose of classic horror. The sleepless nights that followed were entirely and objectively worth it! Creative, dramatic and the iconic Indian flair for drama added to gripping stories from the supernatural world would cause our imagination to run wild and free! Ask yourself, have you actually, genuinely felt alive since Shh...Koi Hai stopped being broadcasted? No, really, have you?
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Thoda jaadu, thodi nazaakat......caught ya! Admit it, you just started humming the theme song of one of the most adored Indian TV shows of all time, Shararat! This show introduced us to the lovable family comprising of three generations of ditzy witches with pure hearts. And Nani played by Farida Jalal was the favourite of the lot, for most of us! If only we received a Rupee for every time we snapped our fingers and expected some wizardry to happen!
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Forget Robert Frost and Keats, Rosesh Sarabhai is the OG source of poetic inspiration for us Indians. And Maya Sarabhai is partly responsible for the judgmental elitist that resides in all of us. There is no denying the supreme ability of this iconic TV show to keep us entertained for hours. Also, the sheer stupidity of the characters was downright hilarious and made for the perfect setting to share a laugh with the fam!
P.S. The good news doesn't end there! The creators recently announced that Sarabhai VS Sarabhai will soon return but this time, with a crossover with Khichadi! Avengers Endgame, what?
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The title of this TV show was taken extremely personally by the chief judge in the show, Navjot Singh Sidhu. His boisterous laughter echoing for hours on end still occasionally feature in our dreams (or nightmares, its all about perspective). This show brought to limelight the iconic Raju Srivastav along with other brilliant comedians who tickled our funny bones with virtually negligible amount of effort.
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We loved Sharukh Khan before it was cool OK? In fact, we loved Sharukh Khan, before anybody really knew he existed! His first venture in the world of cinema, the character of Abhimanyu in the classic 90s TV show Fauji, has won numerous hearts across innumerable Indian households! Following the story of a bunch of new commandoes joining the army training school, Fauji struck a chord with the Indian populace by allowing us to live with the characters, laugh with them and grow with them!
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Amazon Prime
One of our first peaks into the world of college life and romance, this Indian TV show was all the rage while we were growing up. The lovable characters with diametrically opposing personalities soon became close fictional friends and looking back at how invested some of us were in this TV show, our now unrealistic expectations from dating kind of make sense. This show is now akin to comfort home food and the first bite is inches away on the world wide web!
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This iconic romantic drama was quick to become the primary reason for us to stay glued to our idiot boxes. And Dr. Armaan was the collective crush of every Indian teenage girl out there! The amusing portrayal of love, friendship and drama in this medical drama managed to touch our pre-pubescent hearts and soon enough, we were reserving time every evening to exclusively focus on the story unfurling in Sanjeevani Hospital that day.
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So, there we have it, folks! All that's remaining is for you to visit these sites, pick up your largest bowl of popcorn, and traverse through the nostalgic lanes of childhood through the lens of your TV! Happy World Television Day!