Review of serial Talash: Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s TV Classic

Review of serial Talash: Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Emotional TV Classic

Talash (1992) was not just another DD serial it stood out for its emotional depth, unique music choices, and the involvement of legendary filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee. 

It remains one of the most memorable shows of early 90s Indian television.

Directed by a Legend: 

Hrishikesh Mukherjee, known for classics like Anand and Chupke Chupke, directed this seriesrare for a filmmaker of his stature to work in television.

Talash - 

Year of Broadcast: 1992

Channel: Doordarshan (DD National)

Episodes: 26 (each about 23 minutes)

Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Producer: Jayanta Mukherjee

Music: Hemant Kumar Mukherjee

Opening Theme: “Jeevan Ek Pyaas Hai” sung by Suresh Wadkar, lyrics by Yogesh

Unique Title Song: The opening theme “Jeevan Ek Pyaas Hai” sung by Suresh Wadkar (lyrics by Yogesh) was actually a cover of the famous song “Tum Pukar Lo” from Hemant Kumar’s repertoire, giving the show a nostalgic touch

Special Note: Episode 9 featured a song sung by Sonu Nigam (music by Usha Khanna)

Sonu Nigam’s Early Appearance: Episode 9 featured a song sung by Sonu Nigam, composed by Usha Khanna this was one of his earliest TV performances before he became a playback star.

Storyline - 

The series follows Shankarlal Srivastava (played by Alok Nath), a writer who sets out to find his long-lost childhood friend Sudhir (Vijayendra Ghatge).

Shankarlal recalls his friend when passing through a village named Sarasawan.

Sudhir was like a brother to his family, but after leaving home for work, he lost touch.

The last letter Shankarlal received from him came from this village.

The show revolves around Shankarlal’s emotional journey to uncover what happened to Sudhir and why he disappeared.

Cast

Alok Nath – Shankarlal Srivastava

Vijayendra Ghatge – Sudhir

Beena – Shankarlal’s wife

Moushumi Chatterjee – Urmila / Behenji

Dina Pathak – Sudhir’s mother

Pallavi Joshi – Jangli (daughter of the village head)

Rajendra Gupta – Fardu

Sushmita Mukherjee – Janki

Supporting roles: Neelima Azeem, Goga Kapoor, Avtar Gill, and others

The series was based on the novel “Sonar Kanthi Rupor Kanthi” by Ashutosh Mukherjee.

It starred Alok Nath as Shankarlal, a writer searching for his long-lost friend.

The emotional narrative of friendship, separation, and rediscovery made it a memorable show.

With 26 episodes, it became quite popular among viewers in the early 90s.

Watch first episode of  Talash  all episodes are available on youtube