As the country embarks upon its 76th year of independence, we thought it might be fun to look back at what our national television channel, Pakistan Television (PTV), and the country’s first private television channel, Network Television Marketing (NTM), once had to offer, and enthralled generations of audiences with. Here are some immortal TV shows, sitcoms, and telefilms which were revolutionary and memorable at the same time:

Farar (1996)

Farar is a telefilm that remains iconic because of its three unconventional female protagonists who were path-breaking in their own way. Starring Sania Saeed, Marina Khan, and Huma Nawab, among others, this telefilm explored feminism, independence, music, dance, and fashion all set in the cosmopolitan city of Karachi. With a stellar cast, excellent direction by Mehreen Jabbar, and a gripping narrative penned poignantly by Azra Babar, this teleseries is considered ahead of its times and a cult classic.

Kahaniyan (2002)

With Kahaniyan came a new teleseries format for Pakistan, that of the ‘tele-anthology’. Like an intriguing collection of short stories, this anthological drama series included standalone 45-minute episodes, each telling an individual story where the same actors appeared as new characters, which enabled audiences to view them in different avatars. Kahaniyan explored stories of both women and men from different backgrounds and economic classes, with each episode having a separate name and title, leaving viewers wanting more. The series starred veterans like Yasir Nawaz, Nadia Jamil, Samina Peerzada, and Humayun Saeed, among others.

50-50 (1978)

Who can forget the satirical comedy classic series 50-50? This was a brilliantly hilarious show which ran on Pakistan Television from 1978 to 1984 and addressed all sorts of social and political issues through humour. A critically acclaimed show which adhered to the saying ‘laughter is the best medicine’, the show had audiences glued to their seats and laughing their worries away. To date 50-50 remains one-of-a-kind, and no 21st century Pakistani comedy show has come even close to mastering the comic timing the way it did.

Khuda Ki Basti (1969)

Based on the novel of the same name, Khuda Ki Basti was dramatized by Shaukat Siddiqui, the novelist himself, for PTV, with 26 episodes of 25 minutes each. This show was exemplary as it addressed socio-political issues, class differences, post-partition circumstances, and much more through simple yet nuanced storytelling. Most importantly, the main characters hailed from economically modest backgrounds and this made a large percentage of the country relate to the show.

Shaam Se Pehle (1998)

A simple love story between two widowed elderly individuals seeking companionship, this subtle and sweet telefilm talked about what it means to find love in a later stage of life. This telefilm argued that loss and loneliness affects not just the nation’s youth but can deeply affect our elders as well. It normalized two elderly individuals exploring the idea of marriage and navigating complications that came with their children accepting their decision. Starring Uzma Gilani, Abid Ali, Badar Khalil, Tazeen Hussain, and Adnan Jilani, this show addressed love through music, poetry, and theatre.