Doordarshan's superhit classic show. Photo Credit- Instagram
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Entertainment Desk, New Delhi. The 80s and 90s were a golden era for television. At that time there was only one Doordarshan in the name of TV channels. Along with films, big directors, actors and producers were also turning towards TV. At that time, such shows were made which got included in the list of classic cult.
It cannot be denied that in the 80s, Ramanand Sagar's mythological serial Ramayan and BR Chopra's Mahabharat created a stir on Doordarshan. These serials were considered classic cult. But in the same period, another serial came which left such an impression on the hearts of the audience whose impact has not diminished even today.
History was created on Doordarshan with 26 episodes
This show was one of the most watched shows on Doordarshan. Interestingly, only 26 episodes of this show were released. The show became a cult classic with a story of suspense, deception, truth and love, spanning one year, 26 episodes and 8.3 ratings. It broke all records of success. This serial was of Ramanand Sagar who had made the superhit mythological show like Ramayana.
Ram-Sita were also part of the show
The interesting thing was that in this show of Ramanand Sagar, Ramayan's Ram (Arun Govil) and Sita (Deepika Chikhalia) were also seen on-screen. The show became a superhit and became a cult classic. The show we are talking about is Vikram Aur Betaal. The character of Vikram was played by Arun Govil while Betal was played by Bollywood actor Sajjan.
What was the story of Vikram and Betal?
Vikram Aur Betal was a mythological show that was telecasted on Doordarshan in 1985 and was telecasted again in 1988 after Ramayan. The story of the show was based on 'Betal Pachisi' which was written by Kashmiri poet Somdev Bhatt in the 11th century. In this, the story of the clever ghost Betal is shown to the wise king Vikramaditya. In Vikram and Betal, it is shown that to fulfill a vow, King Vikramaditya had to remove Betal's dead body from the top of a tree and silently carry it on his shoulder to another place.
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The show was made in low budget
On the way, Betal's spirit (in the corpse) would tell a story to the king and after the story was completed, Betal would ask a question that if the king knew the answer, he would have to answer, else he would break his head into a thousand pieces. In this way Betal told a total of 25 stories to Vikramaditya. This show was a super-duper hit. This was no less than a surprise for those who said that this show would not work. But Vikram and Betaal, made in a low budget, made the audience crazy.
Where was the shooting of Vikram Aur Betal?
According to the Instagram page of Sagar World, each episode of Vikram and Betal was made for around Rs 1 lakh. There were a total of 26 episodes in this show, hence Rs 26 lakh was spent in making it. The show was shot at Prem Sagar's house Sagar Villa. It was telecast every Sunday at 4.30 pm on Doordarshan.
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