World Television Day: Celebrities share the time when a TV set came to their households

Every year, November 21 is observed as World Television Day and the focus is on how TV plays a vital role in presenting different issues that affect people. On the occasion, celebrities shared the time when they got their first TVWorld Television Day: Celebrities share the time when a TV set came to their households

Nishant Malkhani

Rakshabandhan: Rasaal Apne Bhai ki Dhaal actor Nishant Malkhani remembers the time when a colour TV set came to his household. “It was quite a big deal. With the on-set of cable TV we finally had way more channels than DD metro and Doordarshan. It was really exciting to watch everything in colour. It was really beautiful. It was really amazing to watch films and cricket in colour. When I was really young, my mom used to watch daily saps like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. With her I used to sit down to have dinner and I used to watch these shows. It put me in an imaginary world,” he said.

“I love watching television, but I watch more of OTT on my TV. I do catch up on my show everyday without fail as it is pretty close to my heart. I love seeing how the story is progressing and the audience point of view,” he added.

Anupama Solanki

Chikoo Ki Mummy Durr Kei actress Anupama Solanki remembers the first time a colour TV came to her home. “After that there used to be a huge crowd coming to my place to watch TV. That time felt like we belonged to a king’s family. It was a beautiful time,” she said.

“I watch TV only when I am having my breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I watch TV for about one hour a day,” she added.

Nupur Joshi

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani actress Nupur Joshi shared that television was already a happy part of her household when she was born, so she doesn’t have any first time memory of when it was introduced. “But I do have a lot of childhood memories around watching stuff together on television as a family. We would have these ‘movie nights’ for kids lasting entire summer during the vacations. From Pink Panther to Bambi to Lion King to Snow White to Tom & Jerry, we would have special screening and snacks at home with me and my sister and some friends and visiting cousins over. It used to be a full pyjamas party mode. And who can deny the Sunday binge of Mahabharata and Ramayana and melodious Friday evenings of Chitrahaar,” she shared.

“I actually don’t get much time to sit and watch TV everyday, but when I do find some free time I make sure I catch up on all my favourite television shows and movies and binge watch what’s new,” she added.

Ranaksh Rana 

Fidaai actor and model Ranaksh Rana grew up in a remote village and he remembers when the 1998 movie Soldier got released. “Some of the kids, including me, watched it at a relative’s house in a hand-me-down TV, that too a black and white one,” he said.

“I know you must be thinking Soldier is a fairly recent movie! Still black and white TV? But that’s the reality of technology development and its reach to the farthest parts of our country with time and precisely what you mentioned, TV does play a vital role in presenting the reality of different people. I won’t call it issues. It’s just reality,” he added.

He no longer stays in a village, but its peace and calmness have not left him. 

“I rarely get to watch TV as my day is usually very packed. If I do get a chance, it’s mostly to catch up on the news. And of course, some cartoons like Tom and Jerry. That’s the best remedy to relax and lighten up after a long day,” he said.

Harshali Zine

Baap of Special Services actress Harshali Zine feels that TV used to play a vital role in people’s lives as a few decades back the fastest way to reach out to masses was only through radio or TV. “Now since we have advanced mobile phones, one could easily do without a TV set. A new TV set was purchased by my parents when I was still in school. But I was restricted to limited watching time,” she said.

“In school days parents didn’t allow me to watch TV. It was only while having dinner or on Sundays. So I never got habituated to watching TV. Even in hostel life there was no TV. We went to movie theaters to watch movies. Since I started living independently, I never felt the need to have a TV set at home. I still don’t have it. I feel happy and proud to say I don’t have the idiot box. I have not watched 95% of my own TV shows in which I have worked,” she shared. 

She loves reading books and watching educational documentaries rather than meaningless fictional series or movies. 

“I never miss watching a Christopher Nolan film or other science fiction, time travel-based series and movies. I’m a conscious watcher. I am very careful of what I feed my mind. These programmes could easily change the programming of mind. Indirectly it changes your way of being,” she said.

Aakash Ahuja

Thapki Pyar Ki actor Aakash Ahuja was already born in a house that had a TV set. “I rarely watch TV, especially since I am shooting. TV for me is just confined to watching sports,” he said.

Harssh A Singh

Mumbai Diaries actor Harssh A Singh grew up in Ludhiana and his family were amongst the first few families to get a colour TV, so it was a big deal in their neighborhood. “It became like a community thing for the next few months when people came over to watch TV at our house. This was the early 80s I think, so whenever there would be a show on TV that I thought a particular friend or neighbour would be interested in, I would go to the terrace and yell for that kid to come over and watch. Then of course as years passed, everyone got a colour TV set, so it stopped being a big deal, but for a while, it was like a mela every evening at home. I loved it,” he said.

Sham Mashalkar

Sasural Genda Phool 2 actor Sham Mashalkar believes that TV plays a vital role in everyone’s life and will continue to do so. “I remember that in my earlier times there used to be a show called Surbhi and all of us used to sit together and watch. There used to be Mahabharata and Ramayana and people seriously used to put haar around the TV. People used to watch TV with immense bhakti bhav. TV came in my house in 1986-87. Having a colour TV was a big thing and the journey since then has been commendable. First there used to be just one channel but then there was MTV and Channel V. We used to listen to Michael Jackson’s songs on MTV,” he said.