Dilip Joshi as Jethalal/Disha Vakani as Dayaben in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah: Away from the kitchen and saas-bahu politics, the second half of 2000s gave us the impeccable jodi of Jethalal and Dayaben from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. The character of Dayaben (played by Disha Vakani) of a conventional Indian housewife with a humorous touch will certainly remain in our hearts for a long time. And is there anything left to say about Jethalal's comic timing?
Shivaji Satam as ACP Pradhyuman in CID: Our Friday nights would usually begin with Shivaji Satam as CID's ACP Pradyuman's words, "Kuch toh gadbad hain, Daya!" Who else would continue to solve cases for almost two decades, that too, without a promotion? He was a household name thanks to his role in CID, one of the longest-running television series in India. (All pictures: mid-day archives/screenshots from YouTube)
Mukesh Khanna as Shaktimaan: Shaktimaan was definitely India's answer to Western comic book superheroes. He was every child's hero. Shaktimaan was one of the most popular and longest-running television series in India on Doordarshan. We simply adored Mukesh Khanna as Pandit Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri, aka Shaktimaan.
Maya Sarabhai/Monisha Sarabhai/Indravadan Sarabhai/Rosesh Sarabhai in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Not an episode would go by without Maya Sarabhai (Ratna Pathak Shah) irking her daughter-in-law Monisha (Rupali Ganguly) with the classic words "Monisha, that's so middle class". And in case that was not enough to invoke laughter, we had Rosesh's (Rajesh Kumar) bad but extremely funny poems and the fun banter with his father Indravadan Sarabhai (Satish Shah), and helpless Sahil (Sumeet Raghavan) stuck between all of them. Sarabhai vs Sarabhai was one of the best sitcoms on Indian television.
Farida Jalal as Nani in Shararat: Shararat, which first aired in 2006, had Nani (Farida Jalal) doing harmless magical pranks on her son-in-law and coming up with magical solutions for every problem that her granddaughter faced every now and then. Her cute and funny antics were fun to watch.
Smriti Irani as Tulsi/Sudha Shivpuri as Baa from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi: You know a character is iconic enough when it opens the first scene. Smriti Irani's conviction and compelling screen presence as the ideal bahu of Virani Parivar -- Tulsi made her the poster girl of soap opera addicts. The daily soap changed the dynamics of Indian television. Apart from her, Sudha Shivpuri who played the popular character of Baa in the serial is remembered for her sharp acting.
Sakshi Tanwar as Parvati in Kahaani Ghar Kii: Modelled after Sita, Parvati from Kahaani Ghar Kii was an ideal wife, mother, daughter-in-law, and bhabhi. The Ekta Kapoor production became one of the most-watched shows in the early 2000s.
Urvashi Dholakia as Komolika in Kasautii Zindagii Kay: Which face comes to your mind when you hear "Nikkaaaaa"? The most famous vamp of Indian television, aka Komolika from Kasautii Zindagii Kay. Komolika Basu, the villain in Anurag and Prerna's life could do just about anything with her money and ability to manipulate one and all.
Sudha Chandran as Ramola Sikand in Kahin Kissii Roz: Another villain who finds her name in television history is Ramola Sikand from Kahin Kissii Roz. Played by Sudha Chandran, Ramola was famous for her evil ideas and her long bindis! Despite her unusual style, she became a fashion icon.
Ashok Saraf as Anand Mathur in Hum Paanch: Hum Paanch was all about family, comedy and entertainment. The charm of the show was veteran comedian Ashok Saraf as Anand Mathur, who always found himself in trouble because of his five daughters — Meenakshi, Radhika, Sweety, Kajal, and Chhoti (played by Vandana Pathak, Vidya Balan, Rakhi Vijan, Bhairavi Raichura and Priyanka Mehra respectively). The sitcom, produced by Ekta Kapoor, had great writing, a good cast and excellent comic situations.
Pankaj Kapur as Mussadi Lal in Office Office: Following Karamchand and Phatichar, Pankaj Kapur was blessed with yet another unforgettable character and TV series in the form of Office Office. With characteristic wit and poker-faced sarcasm, Kapur brilliantly demonstrated the tedious workings in a bureaucracy.
Reema Lagoo as Devaki Verma/Supriya Pilgaonkar as Radha Verma in Tu Tu Main Main: Before the saas and bahus of television began plotting revenge against each other, they used to entertain us with their sweet nok-jhok and playful banter. Tu Tu Main Main, first aired in 1994, was the perfect example of it. Tu Tu Main Main depicted the love-hate relationship between a saas-bahu jodi, played by the late actress Reema Lagoo, and Supriya Pilgaonkar, respectively. We certainly would love to rewatch the show to remind ourselves that a saas-bahu relationship can be sweet as well.
Jatin Kanakia as Keshav Kulkarni in Shrimaan Shrimati: The late Jatin Kankia was known as the "Prince of Comedy" in television. If you have a doubt about this title, we recommend Shrimaan Shrimati to you. Kanakia played the lead role of Keshav Kulkarni, a married, middle-class man, who has a crush on his neighbour, played by Archana Puran Singh. He also had a rivalry with her husband, played by Rakesh Bedi, who in turn is drawn to Kulkarni's wife Reema Lagoo. Shrimaan Shrimati is still considered as the flagbearer of comedy on television.
Supriya Pathak as Hansa Parekh/Rajeev Mehta as Praful Parekh in Khichdi: The hilariously dumb Praful of the Khichdi series was everyone's dose of laughter. And Hansa's cuteness perfectly complemented her husband's dumbness with her dialogues, particularly, "Hello, how are? Khaana khaake jaana, haan", still ringing in our ears. Matching Hansa's fun banter was Praful armed with "Hansaaa... mein hu na."
Mona Singh as Jassi/Gaurav Gera as Nandu in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin: In the desi version of the Columbian drama, Yo Soy Betty, La Fea (Ugly Betty in English), Mona Singh as Jassi in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin won everyone's heart. Mona Singh's spontaneous vivacity made her an instant hit. Adding charm to the show was her close friend Nandu (Gaurav Gera).
Avika Gor as Anandi in Balika Vadhu: The serial dealt with the sensitive topic of child marriage perfectly. Adorable Anandi, played by Avika Gor remained the star attraction of this hugely popular drama.
Karan Singh Grover as Armaan/Shilpa Anand as Riddhima in Dill Mill Gayye: For every 2000s teens, Dill Mill Gayye was a rage that swept all of us away and charmed us with its magic. Armaan and Riddhima (Karan Singh Grover and Shilpa Anand) were couple goals much before the term became famous. Their sweet banter amidst the tough life in the hospital brought a smile to our face.
Harsh Lunia as young Jai in Just Mohabbat: One of the 90s coolest coming-of-age dramas was Just Mohabbat. Jai was probably the most amiable kid on the block. Played by Harsh Lunia (and later by Vatsal Seth), his character depicted the carefree nature and innocence of childhood. The series chronicled Jai's life in a boarding school and his tryst with friendship, love, school and family.
Mrinal Kulkarni as Son Pari in Son Pari: Admit it, we still love to listen to the song, "Mumkin ko namumkin kar de Namumkin ko mumkin, Sonpari sab hal karti hain Sabki mushkil sab din. Dekho aayi Sona sonpari aayi." Sona Aunty is the figure all of us secretly hoped to have in our lives.
Shweta Gulati as Tia/Priya Val as Anvesha in Remix: Almost every teenager swore by this show. It was a remake of the Argentinian hit soap, Rebelde Way. Tia (Shweta Gulati), Anvesha (Priya Wal) kept us all hooked to the screen. Their fun, peppy life gave us our daily dose of entertainment. Apart from the duo, we also had Yuvraaj (Raj Singh Arora) and Ranveer (Karan Wahi) charming us on the screen.
Hip Hip Hurray: It was a tad difficult for us to pick a character from this evergreen show. So here we are mentioning everyone. The iconic show that was first aired in 1998 showcased a bunch of 12th grade students from DeNobili High School dealing with peer pressure, teenage problems, drug abuse, love troubles, and academic stress. The cast included Purab Kohli, Shveta Salve, Samantha Tremayne, Vishal Malhotra, Kishwer Merchant, Mehul Nisar, Rushad Rana, Peeya Rai Chowdhary, Suchitra Pillai, Vinay Pathak, Nauheed Cyrusi, Sharokh Barucha, Zafar Karachiwala and Pamela Mukerjee among others. So which one of them was your favourite?
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