Nostalgia Restored: series from the Late 90s & Early 2000s
Old is gold, we always say, there are many Tv shows at present with advanced graphics, visual effects, and better picture quality, but still, the heart misses that old series which everyone used to watch with the bright smile, be it kids or the elders. It engaged everyone, and the level of those series can’t be matched with anyone.
From Shaktimaan to Shaka Laka Boom Boom, the whole time remained occupied with the comedy, twists, and turns. In this pandemic, we have watched the Mahabharat & Ramayana. Still, we have missed these series. Kids of the present time won’t understand the magic of those series, and it was like an era, a perfect family time. However, they are still available on the internet, but no one has the time but if you have got a little time you can watch it and relieve those days and even better if you watch it along with your family.
Shaktimaan
When there were multiple superheroes from foreign countries that kids used to read in the comic books, India created its superhero named Shaktimaan. This show was about the goodness and evil that we have in our society, and the show was again aired during the lockdown.
Shaktimaan was aired from 1997 to 2005 on DD National, a story created by Mukesh Khanna & Dinker Jani, which made a beautiful contribution during the childhood of the youths at present and adults. The acting cast included Mukesh Khanna, Vaishnavi Mahant, Kitu Gidwani, Surendra Pal, Kishwer Merchant, Zahida Parveen, and Tom Alter.
The series is about a superhero Shaktimaan and his other character Pandit Gangadhar Vidhyadar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shashtri, a typical journalist. He is portrayed as a superhuman who got the powers from meditation & 5 elements of nature, i.e. space, air, fire, earth, and water.
Shaka Laka Boom Boom
Agree or not, whoever had watched this show once had told us that we need that magical pencil to get whatever we want. Still, it was just a series that made us believe that a magical pencil existed when many of us were kids, and it increased the sale of that character pencil as every child must have gone to search for this magic pencil at the stationary.
Shaka Laka Boom Boom was first aired in 2000 on DD National. Later, it was taken up by Star Plus in the year 2001. The television series was directed & written by Vijay Krishna, and the leading role of Sanju was played by Kinshuk Vaidya, who finds a magical pencil.
This pencil can turn the drawn things into reality. The series was aired into four seasons, the second season was about an alien and adventures with his magical pencil, the third season showcases Sanju & Shaan’s experience in Jadoo High (a magic school), and the fourth season showed how Sanju travels to the future to save his family.
Shaka Laka Boom Boom was re-aired on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Hungama TV, Star One, and it was telecasted in the Tamil language.
Son Pari
While hearing the name of this series, didn’t you remember the singing title track, which is ‘Dekho aayi aayi aayi Sona Son Pari aayi’? This series is one of the iconic ones. The show took everyone in the world of fantasy along with adventures & it was aired from 2000 to 2004 on the channel Star Plus. At that time, you might not have noticed, but Shreya Ghosal sang the title song of the show.
The acting cast of Son Pari included Tanvi Hegde, Ashok Lokhande, Mrinal Kulkarni, Vivek Mushran, and Shashikala. The story is about a young girl named Fruity who gets a magical ball & on rubbing that, she summons a fairy named Son Pari and his friend Altu. Those magical days when we finished our studies soon to watch this show.
The story plot was also about a greedy named Bunty who wanted to catch Son Pari so that he can show it off to the world and become a rich man, but as Fruity releases the dove, not knowing the reality and here it starts the story of a strange but fantastic friendship of Fruity, Son Pari, and Altu.
Shararat
Remember ‘Shring viing sarvling bhoot bhavishya vartaman badling’, this spell trapped so many kids, they used to snap their fingers and do this magic, but as it was a fantasy series, it was entertaining not only to the kids but adults as well. The comedy content made it very unique and this unique television show has a special place in the heart. If you have watched the show once, you won’t stop watching it.
Shararat: Thoda Jaadu, Thodi Nazaakat was aired from the year 2003 to 2006 on the channel Star Plus. The television show was inspired by an American show named Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Shararat was directed by Rajiv Mehta and the acting cast included Farida Jalal, Mahesh Thakur, Shoma Anand, Poonam Narula, Shruti Seth, Eva Grover, Karanvir Bohra, Simple Kaul, Harsh Vashisht, and Addite Shirwaikar.
The story is about a girl Jiya from the family of Rani Devi, and on her 18th birthday, she gets the magical power. It is a family show with a lot of comedy and joy, which brings a bright smile to the face of the audience.
Hatim
We all have heard about a story named the adventure of Hatim, even their exists a movie on the same, but this is a fantasy & action series which attracted the audience with its uniqueness and performance. The television show was directed by Amrit Sagar, and the show is based on the work by Hatim al Tai.
The show was aired from 2003 till 2004 on the channel Star Plus. The acting cast included Rahil Azam, who played the role of Prince of Yemen, Kiku Sharda, Nirmal Pandey, Aditi Pratap, Vijay Ganju, Pooja Ghai Rawal, Neha Bam, Ravi Khanvilkar, Rushali Arora, and many more.
The story is about the prince of Yemen, who is born to spread peace and goodness. Later he leaves on an adventurous journey to find the answer to seven magical questions to defeat the evil emperor Dajjal and to save many lives. The story revolves around the adventurous journey of Hatim & Hobo, who goes through many different situations and faces difficulties finding the answers, along with the comedy twists in between.
Karishma Ka Karishma
The story of a lifelike robot, but just a story. In reality, the scientists are still working. Karishma Ka Karishma is a fun drama television show that was aired in 2003 on the channel Star Plus. The television show was inspired by an American show, Small Wonder, that was released in the 1980s.
Karishma Ka Karishma was directed by Swapna Waghmare Joshi & was developed by Aparna Ganesh Abid Hussain. The primary role of the lifelike robot was played by Jhanak Shukla, like a cyber kid. Her performance was very much appreciated by the audience and professionals as well.
The story is about a scientist named Vikram who designs the robot and names him Karishma intending to find out that his robot will become more like a human with time, but in that he faces many problems from his wife’s side as she believes that he has some kind of extramarital affair, but later after he reveals about the lifelike robot to his family, they accept her as a daughter and the robot Karishma solves the problem of family in the best way possible.
Kids from today’s time should also watch this series, it is fun, and they will enjoy it too, as many of us did earlier. It was complete entertainment for the family, and everyone enjoyed watching it.
Vikraal Aur Gabraal
When we used to get scared, this show Vikraal Aur Gabraal made us comfortable with the performance, plot, and different stories. The series was based on supernatural horror stories. The television show was premiered in the year 2001 and later, it came up with three seasons that ended in the year 2010.
Vikraal Aur Gabraal was directed by Rajesh P. Ranshinghe, Glen Baretto, and Pavan S. Kaul. It was written by Imtiaz Baghdadi, Jayesh Patil, Aditya Narain Singh, Abhinav S. Kashyap, etc.
The star cast of the TV show included Salil Ankola, Mamik Singh, Neha Devi Singh, Vindu Dara Singh, Jiten Lalwani, Gufi Paintal, Shonali Malhotra, Kamya Punjabi, Shakti Anand, Sunil Grover, Ronit Roy, and a few more.
The television show was about different horror stories in other episodes, and along with that, a ghost catcher named Vikraal was introduced, which was played by Mamik Singh. Later, looking on to the situation, three ghostbusters were presented, Trikaal, who were always ready to fight with the evil powers. The show was aired on the channel Star Utsav. It was a very hit show and was loved by kids and adults.
Khichdi
The most iconic television show which can not be missed was a show that had a total dose of entertainment, comedy, and joy. Be it kids or adults, it brought a big smile on the face. The original series was released in the year 2002, and later it returned in the year 2018 on the channel Star Plus.
The original series had two seasons and the audience very much loved it. Aatish Kapadia directed Khichdi, and JD Majethia wrote it. The acting cast of the television show included Anang Desai, Supriya Kapadia, Rajeev Mehta, JD Majethia, and Vandana Pathak.
The show’s plot was the daily life of the family members, but their way of talking and delivering the lines made it a successful and iconic performance. The characters were Praful Parekh, Hansa Parekh, Tulsidas Parekh, Himanshu Seth, Jayshree Parekh, and other surfaces.
It was a full packet dhamaka, later a movie of the same name was also filmed and even if you want to watch it together, you will have a great laughter session and quality time with your family or friends. The Gujrati family will break you into laughter and you will enjoy the show to the fullest.
Takeshi’s Castle
The only game show where every kid wanted to go, but we didn’t know how to go but at least we thought too. Takeshi’s Castle was a Japanese game show that was aired during 1986 & 1990 in Tokyo and later it traveled to India.
The game show was full of entertainment for the audience and challenges for the participants. It was hosted by a Japanese comedian named Takeshi Kitano and the setup was made like, he owns a castle and has set up complex challenges. The show’s concept made it a big hit around the world and even today sometimes it is aired on the morning slot and everyone loves watching it.
In the era of Big Boss and other game shows, we miss this real gold, though it was not Indian the commentary of Javed Jaferry made it extraordinary and fun.
MAD
Music, Art & Dance, is one of the fantastic shows where we thought that we can make this at home but we couldn’t as art is a talent you need to practice. MAD was not a comedy show or something related to fiction but it was related to the children’s creativity.
The show was aired on POGO Tv and it started in the year 2005 and ran for 7 seasons. It was more like a DIY (Do It Yourself) show & most exciting factor of the show, Was the host Rob (Harun Robert), a fascinating artist, host, and director.
The MAD show ended in the year 2010 and after the success of the show, Harun Robert started his own YouTube channel named ‘Mad Stuff with Rob’ based on the same concept as the show. It included many things like drawing, painting, playing instruments, sketching, and many more.
These are some of the shows that have made the childhood of late 90s and early 2000s kids very fun entertaining and not only for the kids but also for the adults. Even in today’s time no show can match the level of these concepts, be it Chota Bheem, Sinchan, Doremon, and many others, a show like Shaktimaan, Son Pari, Shaka Laka Boom Boom, etc have created their identity & memories in the heart of the audiences which will always be cherished if you have watched these shows.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
