Television With Subtitles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Doordarshan

Doordarshan was launched on the 15th of September, 1959 and is fully owned by the Indian government. The channel included a daily news broadcast and shows on the developmental work carried out by the government. Weekends were devoted to children's shows in the morning followed by a movie in the evening.

There were also weekly shows featuring Hindi film songs called "Chitrahaar" and "Rangoli". The viewership of Doordarshan declined steadily after the introduction of channels by private broadcasters post 1991.

Answer: Both of these

"Ramayan", based on the epic of the same name, was created and directed by Ramanand Sagar. It followed the life of Rama and Sita and had a run of 78 episodes over the course of almost two years. "Mahabharat" was produced by the well known filmmaker B. R. Chopra and directed by his son Ravi Chopra.

It aired from October 1988 to June 1990. Both these serials served to revive interest in these epics. The serials had a huge fan following and the actors portraying the Hindu gods were themselves put on pedestals by the audience with people queueing up to seek their blessings at public events.

Answer: Power

"Shaktimaan" was produced by Mukesh Khanna who also played the title role as well as that of his alter ego. Originally aired on Doordarshan, reruns were also telecast on other private channels. Shaktimaan worked as a photographer for a daily newspaper and had attained his special powers through deep meditation.

Answer: No

The show was first aired in 2000 and marked the television debut of iconic Indian actor, Amitabh Bachchan. Till then, movie stars considered television a step down from the big screen. Mr. Bachchan's successful stint on the show resulted in a fresh lease of life to his acting career and also sent his popularity soaring among a new generation of viewers who were not as familiar with his films. KBC, as the show is popularly referred to, also started the trend of foreign reality shows being adapted for Indian audiences. It is common for movie stars to make an appearance on the show as part of their film promotions.

Shah Rukh Khan, another popular Indian actor, was roped in to host the third season of the show. However, the ratings were not as high as previous seasons and Mr. Bachchan was brought back for season 4.

"Kaun Benga Crorepati" was a pivotal part of the storyline of the Oscar winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire" where a poor slum kid ends up winning the jackpot as his life experiences guide him towards the correct answers.

Answer: Soap Opera

"Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" which translates to 'the mother-in-law was once a daughter-in-law' dealt with the travails of a large traditional joint family with the initial years focussing on the conflict between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the house.

There were several generation leaps taken during the course of its run with the daughter-in-law finally becoming a grandmother bringing the story to a full circle. While soap operas were always popular on Indian television, the popularity of this show along with a few others launched around the same time, gave rise to a whole genre called the 'saas bahu soap' that dealt mainly with kitchen politics. With regular twists and turns and frequent generation leaps to bring in fresh characters, it was not uncommon for some of these shows to run for years on end.

Answer: Bade Achche Lagte Hai

"Bade Achche Lagte Hai" was yet another family drama. Though it began on an interesting note with the story of two lead characters who meet and marry late in life, it eventually succumbed to the lure of melodrama and went down the same old road.

While historical serials have always had their fan following, the high ratings drawn by the first among these "Jhansi ki Rani" which launched in 2009 resulted in production houses queueing up to churn such dramas. These shows took several creative liberties with history and much of the focus tended to be on the love lives of the main characters than their historical feats. Lavish sets were constructed on the outskirts of Mumbai and near small villages to help recreate the grandeur of the period.

Answer: No

"Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin" (There's no one like Jassi) and "Ugly Betty" were both adapted from the popular Colombian telenovela "Yo soy Betty, la fea" (I am Betty, the Ugly one). The Indian show made its debut in 2003 while "Ugly Betty" began airing only in 2006.

The show marked the acting debut of model Mona Singh. Great pains were taken by the channel and production house to hide her identity and real looks. All appearances were strictly 'in character' and even her name was not revealed initially.

The show was very popular and ran for four years. The role of the womanizing boss was played by Apurva Agnihotri, a former film actor who hadn't found much success on the big screen.

Answer: Nach Baliye

"Nach Baliye" first aired in 2005 with television and film actor couples forming the contestants. The show became so popular that actors began admitting to their relationships when casting for subsequent seasons began. In later seasons, a couple of pairs were even accused of faking relationships with co-actors in order to feature on the show.

"Jhalak Dikhla Jaa" is the Indian version of "Strictly Come Dancing". "Dance India Dance" aims to discover talent from among the public while "Zara Nachke Dikha" had a girls v/s boys concept featuring teams of television actors competing against each other.

Answer: It became strictly vegetarian.

The first season of "MasterChef India" was hosted by actor, Akshay Kumar who had earlier worked as a chef in Thailand before getting a break in the movies. While the show largely followed the format of the original, the degree of melodrama was definitely on the higher side with a large chunk of the episodes focussing on the contestants' personal lives.

In a surprise twist, the producers announced that the fourth season of the show would be strictly vegetarian. It was stated that vegetarian viewers were put off by the sight of cooking meat and the new format would instead focus on innovative vegetarian cuisine.

Answer: Pakistan

At its launch, Zindagi became the first Indian general entertainment channel to air Pakistani television shows. Unlike their Indian counterparts, Pakistani soaps have a finite duration and typically end within 20-30 episodes. The strong storylines and lack of melodrama coupled with the curiosity to get a glimpse into life in Pakistan resulted in high ratings for these shows. Well known Pakistani television actors, Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan were also able to bag roles in Hindi films after becoming popular in India through these soaps.