Forget Roadies & Splitsvilla, These 13 Unforgettable TV Shows Are The OG Reality Shows Of India

How real are reality shows in 2021? The truth about the authenticity of reality shows remains a debatable topic even after decades. To match up to the voyeuristic demands of the audience, reality shows are alleged to be 'scripted'. With endless twists and dramas, there are several reality shows to catch the viewer's attention.

But way before these 'scandalous' shows paved their way into our TV screens, there were shows that we as 90's kids enjoyed in the early 2000s and so on!

Tv shows

From 'Taaye Taaye Fish' to Neena Gupta's signature line that we all remember till today, these 13 shows won our hearts! How many do you remember?

1. Fame Gurukul

Fame Gurukul

Qazi Taukeer v/s Rooprekha Banerjee! Who remembers voting aggressively on the phone by dialing a number?

Well, the Indian version of the UK's Fame Academy aired in 2005. Several talented singers were selected from all over the sub-continent trained by a panel of judges. From Javed Akhtar correcting the diction of contestants to Ila Arun giving her tips, the show was a super hit!

Fun fact: Arjit Singh was one of the participants on the show and couldn¡¯t even make it to the top-3. And now, he¡¯s ruling the Indian music scene with back-to-back hit songs!

2. Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj

Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj

Aditi Sharma and Sarvar Ahuja were the winners!

It is impossible for any 90¡¯s kid to not remember this show. We spent months on the show analyzing every contestant. People from all over India participated in the front to get a big ¡®Bollywood ticket.¡¯ Filled with drama, twists, and many acting and dance performance rounds, the show was a super hit in 2004.

Fun fact: Yuvika Chaudhary, Shraddha Arya, Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya, Ankita Lokhande, Sharad Malhotra, and Amruta Khnavilkar all participated in this show. They all branched out and did several TV shows and films.

3. Dial One Aur Jeeto

Dial One Aur Jeeto

You're a real 90's kid and a TV junkie only if you remember the number: 190-24-24-90-90-01

Rings a bell? Mandira Bedi headlined this show where contestants had to call with Mandira, who would ask impromptu questions. There were cash prizes for the correct answers, and many in India tried their luck in the hope to at least get a chance to be on a call with Bedi.

Fun fact: It was one of the first TV shows in India that was telecasted live (with minor tweaks in the air time).

4. Kamzor Kadi Kaun

Kamzor Kadi Kaun

¡°Ab aap jaa sakte hain...Namastey!¡±

Replacing Amitabh Bachchan¡¯s KBC timeslot, Neena Gupta took a heavy job of living up to the expectations of the Indian audience.

Neena Gupta hosted Star Plus's quiz reality game show Kamzor Kadi Kaun, adapted from the celebrated English reality show The Weakest Link. While the show failed to match up the hype that KBC created, Neena Gupta's presence garnered critical appreciation. Fans loved Neena¡¯s avatar on the show!

Fun Fact: In one of the ¡®special¡¯ episodes of the show, several popular TV hosts appeared as a group, but Neena Gupta trolled everyone with her wit and sarcasm and poker face. Even when some of the guests in the panel were her old friends, Neena was a thorough professional who played the game strongly!

5. Khulja Sim Sim

Khulja Sim Sim

¡°Taaye Taaye Fish¡±

India found its new favorite line in Aman Yatan Verma¡¯s catchphrase: Taaye Taaye Fish, which was used for contestants who won nothing on the show!

The show initially aired on STAR Plus for the first two seasons premiered on 27 July 2001. The first season was hosted by Aman Verma and the second season by Hussain Kuwajerwala.

Fun fact: More than 18000 kg of stainless steel was used to construct the set, in addition to 2000 sq. ft. of acrylic, 2000 sq. ft. of vinyl, 2500 bulbs, 200 tube lights, and kilometers of cabling.

6. Bluffmaster

Bluffmaster

It¡¯s hard not to get hooked on this witty game show. From commoners to celebrities, everyone was welcomed as contestants on this quiz show. The show was all about how good you¡¯re at concealing your emotions and bluffing, which was needed to win the prize money! The concept of this superhit show was new, refreshing, and loved by the audience.

Fun Fact: The show was an adaptation of UK-based Distraction Formats' Dirty Rotten Cheater.

7. Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke

Jeeto Chappad Faad Ke

Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke was an Indian game show series premiered on Sony TV on 26 January 2001. Hosted by Govinda, the title track of the series is sung by Shaan, which was composed by popular Indian composer Leslie Lewis.[

Fun fact: A very popular dialogue in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein referred to this show. Can you guess which one?

8. Antakshri

Anatkashri

"Hum ek geet gaa chuke hain ab teri hai baari, jo tu na gaa paayaa toh teri team hai haari... yeh hai Antakshari, close-Up Antakshari"!

Forget all the revived versions of the show! The original Indian musical game show was Sansui Antakshari, hosted by Pallavi Joshi and Annu Kapoor from 1994 to 2005. The show became a household name, and everyone in the family from every generation would sit and watch the hit show!

Fun fact: The show was also shot in foreign locales such as Dubai, London (UK), New York (USA), etc. It was one of the first shows in India to introduce the concept of celebrity specials.

9. Bournvita Quiz Contest

Bournvita Quiz Show

India found its first official quiz show that began on 12 April 1972. Sponsored by Cadbury India, it is one of India's most famous quiz contests. The show was initially held live in cities across the country. Later on, the show became a radio show and then, in June 1992, a television show on Zee TV.

Hosted by Derek O'Brien, known as the original quiz-master, he would throw several questions at School students, who were made to participate in teams.

Fun fact: Legendary celebrities like Zakir Hussain, Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar would show up as 'guest contestants' on this show.

10. Sach ka Saamna

Sach ka Saamna

Indian TV¡¯s favorite chocolate boy Rajeev Khandelwal turned into an anchor and host for this show! The show was based on the same format as The Moment of Truth, a format owned by Howard Schultz of Lighthearted Entertainment.

Before participants shoot for the show, they were asked 50 questions while hooked up to a polygraph machine. The biological indicators of the contestant, such as pulse rate, blood pressure, etc., are measured and used by the polygraph were monitored by Khandelwal to check the authenticity.

While the show aired on TV, the contestants answered the same 21 questions asked by Khandelwal.

Fun fact: The show ran into a huge controversy right after its premiere week. Many people demanded the show stopped stating discussing and admitting gross personal or social misconduct by celebrities on national television will somehow make it "morally acceptable" for others to indulge in similar activity. They targeted the show saying it could to ¡®lead to the gradual weakening of society's morals.

11. Baazi Kiski

Baazi Kiski

This game show premiered on 2 September 2001 on Zee Tv. Hosted by Ashutosh Rana, the show was a gender war between men and women for a total cash prize of Rs 21,000 per contestant.

Fun fact: Shot in Johannesburg, the show replaced Anupam Kher¡¯s flop show ¡°Sawaal Dus Crore Ka¡¯ and still registered itself as reasonably successful.

12. Mum Tum Aur Hum

Mum Tum Aur Hum

For the first time, there was a game show designed for mom and their kids. On the show, two teams consisting of a mother and a child used to play several rounds where they had to be in perfect sync with each other to win. After every episode, a duo of mom and kid were seen taking the home prizes, with the jackpot prize being a family holiday to various destinations abroad.

Fun Fact: Hosted by Shruti Seth, the show came to an end after a successful run of 112 episodes. Shruti Seth, who hosted the show, reportedly had her hands full with Star Plus' Shararat and Kajol and Aamir starrer Fanaa.

13. Neelam Ghar-Bid Bid Boom

Mum Tum Aur Hum

Hosted by Shekhar Suman, Nilaamghar had over 500 contestants who were arbitrarily chosen from the audience. The contestants were asked to bid for the most number of questions they would like to answer. Based on general knowledge, the questions were asked by the host Shekhar Suman.

Fun fact: The prizes on the show included cars and microwaves. The channel wanted to target women as they offered them a whole range of kitchenware. Later on, Suman has quit the show and moved to Movers & Shakers for Sony TV.