“Why Are There No Old Hindi Movies – The Real Classics – on Indian Television?”

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In this video, Malavika, a retired professor with considerable free time and limited sources of entertainment, says television is not in tune with the needs of her generation.

The question she raises is one we have all asked ourselves – why do TV channels air the same movies over and over again as if stuck in a post-‘90s time warp?

Malavika feels TV channels only perceive movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s as classics – and they probably would seem so to a 20-something TV executive calling the shots. But what about an entire generation who grew up on cinema from the late 50s to the early 70s – that’s nearly two decades of movies nearly wiped out from our collective consciousness.

Since her local cable service did not broadcast Zee Classic, which she heard was a reservoir of classic Hindi movies, Malavika and her husband decided to upgrade to Tata Sky DTH only to access the channel. What they found was a severe post-‘70s hangover with Amitabh Bachchan films dominating the line-up. Even national TV, once the refuge of those seeking quality entertainment on Sunday evenings, only served to disappoint.

Malavika’s hunt for the old classics led her to Landmark at Phoenix Mills in Lower Parel, which is well-known for its extensive collection of movies. Despite picking up a few DVDs, she wasn’t completely satisfied. She is yet to find these movies – Aarti, starring Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari and Pradeep Kumar; and Agni Rekha, starring Sanjeev Kumar and Sharda. Any help on this front would be appreciated.

Malavika’s dilemma may seem casual on the surface, but it’s also a very human one. The twinkle in her eye as she mentions lyricists like Kaifi Azmi and Shakeel Badayuni, and music composers like Salil Chaudhary and SD Burman, bears remnants of a young girl who listened to songs, filled with dreams of the future. For her, these movies are a gateway to reliving her memories of youth.

It may be a sentiment difficult to understand while we are still in our golden days. But it’s a sentiment TV channels and movie content houses could be paying more attention to.