Those were the times of the dish antenna or the satellite revolution in early 90’s in Pakistan. Zee TV, Zee News, Star and ESPN made their mark in early 90’s and we became familiar with the strange lingo of LNB’s and the Receivers. PTV by then was not considered as rotten as we consider it today

Although PTV2 now PTV World looked more like an poly-technique school cum community channel.

Those were the times when STN or the NTM – Pakistan’s first private channel was given license and was runned by Tahir A.Khan who now owns TV-One.

Growing up as teenagers, PTV and satellite channels did had a major impact on all of our personalities.

Below are some of the best Television Plays / Programmes which left a mark on our lives in the 90’s.

10. Ainak Wala Jin – PTV

Anyone growing in the 90’s in Pakistan was addicted to this program. Showed in the evenings by PTV –Wednesday? Targeted towards children it was based on “Alif-Laila”, fairytale style world. Something like the Harry Potter of Pakistan in the 90’s…The famous characters were, Ainak Wala Jin, Zakoota Jin (with his loud: Zaibeeenaaars), Uncle Charlie (a character based on Charlie Chaplin), Bin Batori Na’sar Chori and Ko-Kaaf Ka Jin …and of course, Omer-o-Aiyar.

09. Hum Panch – Zee TV

A frustration became addiction! Hum Paanch was an Indian sitcom. It was first aired in 1995. Ran for few years before it went off-the-air. Hum Paanch was the story of a father, Anand Mathur, who always found himself in trouble because of his five daughters – Meenakshi, Radhika, Sweety, Kajal and Chhoti. Meenakshi, the eldest, was a feminist. Radhika was intelligent but couldn’t hear or see properly. Sweety was a bimbo who wanted to marry Bollywood actors. Kajal was a tomboy and a bully. Chhoti, the youngest, was a gossipmonger. Together they planned on doing something new in every episode. Anand’s first wife, who was dead, used to speak to him through her photo in the living room while his second wife, Bina, generally supported her daughters’ ideas.

08. The Zee Horror Show – Zee TV

If Freedy Junior scared the crap out of you in 80’s – this desi horror show surely did with it’s amazingly original theme music and original scripts. Zee Horror Show is a TV series presented by Ramsay Brothers on Zee TV in the period 1993-1998.

SONY TV later on tried a show called AAHAT which came close – but originals will always be originals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOv63i3XMhM

07. Sunharay Din – PTV

One of the masterpieces of a brilliant mind, Shoaib Mansoor. The tele-serial was based on Army Cadet’s life played brilliantly by Salim Sheikh who is forcefully send to Military Academy, Kakool because of his abusive teen attitude. The story takes a turn when the cadet is transformed into a model-citizen and a gentleman soldier in the academy and how he copes with the life in the academy.

06. Urusa aur Meherun-Nisa – NTM

NTM’s first biggest drama after Suraj Girhan – Urusa aur Mehrunisa was an outstanding play written by the wily old Anwer Masood back in those days with an amazing star-cast and screen play. I remember one of the brilliant dialogues in the play which was “Uski Urdu tu buhat achi hai – yaqinan usay Angrizii aati ho gi……” (that his spoken Urdu is very good that’s why I am sure that he knows English) – Atiqa Odho, Mishi Khan and other star-cast did a fine job.

05. Marvi – PTV

Marvi was yet another amazing play by PTV in the 90’s with lots of emotion with Ghazal in the lead. The story was based in the desert where a peasant girl is abused by a feudal who later develops a liking for her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDYofBIkykQ&feature=related

04. Guest House – PTV

A brilliant comedy by Islamabad Station on PTV which probably was one of the most watched show in the history of Pakistani Television. With Characters like, John Rambo with the dialogues like, “MY NAME IS RAMBO, RAMBO – JOHN RAMBO” and the typical waiter “Murad” with his own chorus of “tip , tip karta mein aoon gaa…” and of course, with the amazing duo of the owners of the guest house…The ending of Guest House made everyone cry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9BcdLHsMXY

03. Chand Ghiran – NTM

A very emotional and brilliantly written drama-serial. The idea was to convey “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”… Chand Ghiran was a story about Pakistani Feud-o-Bureaucratic Structures and the inner circles of Pakistan based in Karachi and Interior Sindh. The amazing character “Jaan-ni-haan Shah” with his famous dialogues, “Baba Saa’ain” and “Aik Churya Bhe Humari Ijazat Say Baghair Humaray Ilaqay Say Par Nahi Marsakti…”

02. Alpha Bravo Charlie – PTV

Shoaib Mansoor’s brain-child and a follow-up of the brilliant Sunharay Din – Alpha Bravo Charlie was a TV serial with a mega budget sponsored by ISPR and played on PTV as a morale booster for the people of Pakistan at a time when the Nation was branded “A Rogue State”… With characters like, Faraz, Gulsher Khan and Kashif…the drama was based on the post-Military academy life of the soldiers and how they cope with Army Life and how the Army effects their personal relationships.

Best Dialouges:
“Desert Mein Meray Liyay tu Ice Cream Lay Ayen, Khan Sahib Shayed Ice Cream Pasand Karain Gay……”
“Nadiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

http://www.youtu be.com/watch?v=1CFyoPqRafE

01. Dhuaan – PTV

Dhuaan was to me the most brilliant drama produced by PTV in recent times which left a mark on everyone’s life. The Quetta based drama was based on a group of four friends of various backgrounds who took upon themselves the task of eliminating “bad guys” from their area. This was one of the first dramas in Pakistan where live ammunition and C4 explosive was used for the purpose of reality. It also happens to be one of the most controversial drama-serials in Pakistan as it showed the working of a certain intelligence agency openly. Dhuaan also became sort of a cult in those days and undoubtedly remains one of our favorite plays.

The ending of Dhuaan was tragic and the song by the Qawali Maestro, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, “Yar Na Bachray…” will always be remembered.

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