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THEY DID MAKE A MARK AFTER ALL...
Indian television history is replete with actors who are remembered even today for their distinctive roles and performances. Harshada Rege lists the prominent ones
ALOK NATH: No doubt Buniyaad had many actors who contributed to the success of the serial, but it's Alok Nath, who played Haveliram in the serial who comes to mind when one mentions this serial. The actor even today continues to play the muchloved dad or uncle in films and TV serials and has been seen in serials like Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai, Tara, Imtihaan and more recently Astitva — Ek Prem Kahani and Piya Ka Ghar.
DILIP DHAWAN: Late Dilip Dhawan, who played the lovable Guru in Nukkad, left a mark with the serial. The serial was about a set of people living in an ordinary middle-class area, highlighting the various problems they faced in their day-to-day lives. After playing the character, Dhawan came to be known as Guru long after the serial ended. That was also probably the reason why he couldn't get away from the character. The actor was seen in many movies and serials after Nukkad, but none got him the popularity that this bittersweet serial did.
KAVITA CHOUDHURY: Better known to many as ASP Kalyani Singh of the serial Udaan, Kavita Choudhury made everyone sit up and take notice of her. The actress carried the woman-oriented serial on her shoulders. It was story of a woman's struggle to achieve her dreams.
RAGHUVEER YADAV: Raghuveer Yadav played Mungerilal in Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne, who day-dreams. The common thing in all his dreams was a heroine who was always a part of his dreams. His dream always started with the twitching of his eye. A hilarious serial had Yadav at his funniest best.
PRIYA TENDULKAR: In 1985 when Priya Tendulkar played the role of Rajni in the serial of the same name, no one thought it would be such a huge success. She portrayed the role of a housewife who shuns injustice, fights against the corrupt social system and solves social issues. People loved the character and her spunk and to her fans she was always Rajni right till her end.
PANKAJ KAPOOR: The carrot-chewing Pankaj Kapoor, who played the title role had the audience hooked on Karamchand through the entire run of the show. In fact after many years the serial was revived, but even though the same magic couldn't be recreated, his genius character is still among the most-remembered.
SUSHMITA MUKHERJEE: As the bumbling secretary of Karamchand, Sushmita Mukherjee who played Kitty was loved by all. So, strong was the impact of the role that till date people remember Sushmita as Kitty.
JASPAL BHATTI: Jaspal Bhatti's Flop Show gave him the licence to make a satirical remark on the system. He and his cronies put together a hilarious fare every week.
ARUN GOVIL: So, convincing was Arun Govil as Ram in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan that people used to touch his feet when he walked on the road. But like many other TV actors, Govil too couldn't break out of this image.
NITISH BHARADWAJ: There have been many serials on the life of Lord Krishna, but the only actor whom people associate with the role is Nitish Bharadwaj in BR Chopra's Mahabharat.
MUKESH KHANNA: Be it playing Pitamah Bheeshma in Mahabharat or Shaktimaan, Mukesh Khanna was rightly called the 'Bachchan of small screen'. The actor stuck to doing few serials and it worked for him. He was probably one of the few actors who managed to break the image that people had of him after he played Bheeshma.
PUNEET ISSAR: No one can beat this Duryodhan of Mahabharat. Bhim may have killed Duryodhan in the battle, but the actor lived on in people's memory. Puneet went on to play the bad guy in many Bollywood flicks and was last seen as Minissha Lamba's father in Bachna Ae Haseeno.
RAJIT KAPOOR: As the Bengali detective Byomkesh Bakshi, Rajit Kapoor took people on an adventurous trail every week. Rajit Kapoor, who's known for his performances, had another winner up his sleeve with this serial.
SHAH RUKH KHAN: The King of Bollywood made a humble beginning with TV serials like Fauji, Circus and Doosra Keval. Among all the serials, he is still remembered as Abhimanyu of Fauji.
NAVNEET NISHAN: It was in the 90s that viewers saw a pathbreaking serial called Tara. Navneet Nishan essayed the lead role and with growing popularity, she became a household name. Both the actor and the serial dominated the television industry for a very long time. With characteristics like being mean, bitchy, she shattered the 'good girl' image. With Tara, India got its first taste of a long-running unconventional soap.
SHEFALI SHAH: A story which revolved around extra-marital affairs, Shefali played the lead called Savi. Shefali's histrionics were applauded and Hasratein owed a lot of its success to her inputs.
MANDIRA BEDI: With Shanti, TV began to take a turn towards women-oriented serial. With 804 ongoing episodes, Mandira Bedi was an incredible success story in the history of Indian television. Post the show Mandira went on to do many shows, but is still remembered for Shanti.
ROHIT ROY: Rohit Roy, as the suave Rishabh Bajaj of Swabhiman was quite a rage among girls who would religiously switch on their TV sets every afternoon. The show had him playing a character which had both black and white shades to it.
SHEKHAR SUMAN: What began with Dekh Bhai Dekh, reached its pinnacle with Movers and Shakers. Shekhar's comic-timing and fast dialogue-delivery got the audiences' vote. The actor was loved for his imitation of various politicians and actors.
NEENA GUPTA: Neena Gupta, produced, directed and acted in Saans and did a fab job too. Neena played a woman whose husband is involved with another woman. It portrayed the declining phase of a husband-wife relationship. Neena and Kanwaljeet Singh played the central characters in this serial that boasted of high TRPs.
SMRITI IRAANI: This was when the saas-bahu sagas had just begun. Indian television got its most-loved bahu with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. It's been almost eight years since and the show is still among the highest TRP garnering shows on Indian television.
RONIT ROY: Ronit Roy managed to carve a niche for himself as Mr Rishabh Bajaj of Kasautii Zindagi Kay and Mihir Virani of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Playing Mihir was probably more of a challenge, because Amarr Upadhyay who had quit the show was on people's minds. But Ronit managed to make a place for himself and now people seem to have forgotten Amarr. Ronit continues to be among the busiest guys on TV. He is currently seen playing Pitamah Bheeshma in Kahaani Hamaray Mahabharat Ki.
SUDHA SHIVPURI: The much-loved grandmother that Sudha Shivpuri portrays has been around despite many generation leaps in KSBKBT. Well it looks like this grandmother is blessed with a very long life. How old is Baa? Never mind!
CEZANNE KHAN: Cezanne Khan who became popular as Anurag Basu in Kasautii Zindagii Kay, had done a few small roles in serials earlier. But it was his role as Anurag that got him maximum accolades and fan mail.
SHWETA TIWARI: It would be tough for everyone to believe that Shweta Tiwari wasn't on talking terms with co-star Cezanne during the making of Kasautii Zindagi Kay. Shweta was immensely popular as Prerna and was acting in the soap for almost five years before it wrapped up.
SAKSHI TANWAR: The second most loved bahu on television, Sakshi Tanwar did a great job of shedding loads of tears in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki. Though Tulsi was the more popular bahu, Sakshi's character Parvati too had her share of fans.
KIRAN KARMARKAR: If Parvati was the second most loved bahu, Om was the second most loved son on TV. Second only to Mihir of KSBKBT. Kiran Karmarkar saw himself at his popular best thanks to this show.
IQBAL KHAN: Iqbal Khan played rockstar Angad in Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and built a huge fan following for himself. His USP besides his well-toned bod, was his sexy voice. The actor had girls swooning over him, not only in India, but also on foreign shores.
RAJSHREE THAKUR: Out of nowhere came this dusky beauty and began giving the Tulsis and Parvatis stiff competition. Rajshree Thakur became popular overnight. Her USP probably lies in the fact that she has stuck to Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar and hasn't done far too many shows.
RAJEEV KHANDELWAL: Rajeev has finally managed to stop people from referring to him as Sujal. The actor became very popular as Sujal of Kahin To Hoga and probably received a lot of hate mail when he quit the show. After his debut film Aamir did well at the box-office, the actor is now a Bollywood citizen.
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Nineteen-yearold did something that none of the actresses have managed to do — find a place in Bollywood. , who played Bani in Kasamh Se, was immensely popular, but she chose to take a risk and quit the serial to try her hand in Bollywood. Luckily for her, the gamble paid off and her movie Rock On ensured she made a successful debut in Bollywood as well.
ALOK NATH
smriti irani
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