India: Television in the 80s · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

DesiDabba remembers television serials aired in the 1980s and early 90s, and wonders if they would have their appeal if they were to air today. “This brings us to the very question I started with. Swamy was based on a well written literature. What if the same serial would have been launched today in midst of a 100 TV channels and countless family dramas? Would Swamy survive in between the hundreds of serials with saas-bahu and scheming aunties and uncles? Would a story that ends in 9 half-hour episodes really attract viewers? “