5 Indian serials depicting compelling corruptions

New Delhi: With female folk constituting the bulk of television viewership, there is an obvious reason for 'saas-bahu' serials to dominate the general entertainment channels (GEC) in India.

However, the serial makers have always given the audience something different that have not only unearthed the happenings of the society but have made the viewers to ponder over matters.

Notably, the booming media industry in India has upheld serious national issues including the socio-economic environment, red-tapism of government, eve-teasing, and corruption.

Here are five serials that showcased the prevailing corruption in the Indian society.

1. "Office Office" by Rajiv Mehra

"Office Office" took the Indian media industry with a storm with its satire on the prevailing

corruption. A Hindi-language television sitcom that premiered on 3rd September, 2001 boasted of famous star cast including famous theatre actor Pankaj Kapur as the protagonist. Aired on SAB TV, the serial was a satire on the established corruption in India. The plot revolved around the story of Mussadi Lal (Pankaj Kapur) who faces constant harshness and indifference so common among Indian government officials.

It received the 'Best Comedy' award at the 'RAPA Awards' consecutively in 2001 and 2002.

2. "Rajani" by Basu Chatterjee

The female-centric show was a superhit on Doordarshan in the mid-80s. Rajini, played by Priya Tendulkar, brilliantly played the role of the protagonist housewife breaking the

stereotypical shackles and exposing corruption originating at the lower levels of the society.
It might be mentioned that Rajani even eclipsed the colossal popularity of the epoch-making family drama Hum Log.

3. "Sach ki Parchaian" Shadow Of Truth by Vineet Narain

The first ever investigative show aired on Doordarshan in 1986-87. It exposed the failures of whimsical government policies at base levels in the society. It was arbitrarily stopped by Doordarshan authorities after the government started interfering with the body's functioning.

The director vowed never to air the show on any government controlled network.

4. RK Laxman ki Duniya by Dharmesh Mehta

Based on the works of the renowned cartoonist RK Laxman, this comedy show aired on SAB TV from 2011-13. The episodes involved around the meek and silent "Common Man", almost always a prey of voracious bureaucrats and the corrupt political system affecting the daily lives of middle-class families in general.

5. Satyamev Jayate

The popular Indian television talk show airing on various channels of Star Network and

Doordarshan's DD National and run by Bollywood actor Aamir Khan touched on sensitive social issues ranging from corrupt practices to molested victims. It had a blockbuster opening as on the very first episode it highlighted the issue of corruption and black money. The talk-show received positive reviews and viewer response. The show turned out to be one of the strongest examples of bringing about a desired changed to the small screen. (image courtesy:www.relevanza.com)

(Inputs by Varnika Mahajan)