Old popular Bengal TV serials back on prime time slots

Kolkata, Apr 8 () With shooting of different megaserials postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 pandemic,several popular Bengali mega sops of early 2000 are making acomeback on prime time slots.

Prominent among the lot is 'Gaaner Oparey', helmed bylate Rituparno Ghosh as creative director, which had given theBengali audience a new, fresh content from the repetitivetearjerker stuff of telly soaps, industry sources said.

The serial, which showed a unique romantic tale of twoyoung Tagore lovers having different temperament and view ofTagore music was telecast from June 2010 till April 2011.

"I am happy to bring back Gaaner Oparey, our first TVproduction, on telly before the audiences again after almost adecade. It had set a new benchmark in Bengali serials and thecredit goes to Rituparno Ghosh and the team," ProsenjitChatterjee the producer of the serial told on Tuesday.

The serial, being aired from April 6 on everyevening, also features Bengali actress turned MP MimiChakraborty and popular actor Gourab Chakraborty, both freshfaces at that time.

Seventeen years after being telecast on Doordarshanand running for a year, another popular Bengali serial'Janani' also made a come back on Monday to be telecast forsix weeks from 9:30 pm.

The ensemble cast features Anuradha Roy, ShankarChakraborty, Kushal Chakraborty, Reshmi Sen, Kaushik Sen andMrinal Mukhopadhyay among others.

"Instead of repeating daily soaps telecast weeks back,we want to dish content-rich literary works of yesteryearswhich evoke nostalgia among the senior citizens and middleaged and curiosity among the new generation who are morehooked to web series," a member of the production house said.

Production houses are also airing 'Sahityer SeraSamay' a collation of the stories by renowned Bengaliauthors aired years back and 'Amar Thikana Tai Briddhashram',a much discussed fictional show on the plight of elderlyforced to live in old age homes.

80-year old Mita Pal, a resident of Birati area in thenorth, is happy to see Mimi Chakravorty again in GaanerOparey.

"I can still vividly recall how I would wait for thisserial every evening. I had even rescheduled my visits toneighbours houses and relatives not to miss a single episodetill it became a bit stale months before it ended. Now inCorona lockdown phase I am looking forward to watch it andJanani every day."

She was echoed by her 25-year old niece Aritrika whorecalls how serials like these brought a whiff of freshnessand made teenagers like her turn to TV serials.

Ankita Mitra, a young professional commented, "thecoming back of serials like Ramayan, Mahabharata, Byomkesh,Shaktiman on TV, the old habit of cooking at home, readingbooks and spending afternoon and evenings at home, no shoppingmall, slow internet and empty streets make us feel as if the90s are back." SUSRG RG