Junoon: Archana Puran Singh, Kitu Gidwani relive memories of the 1994 show

The 1994 super hit TV show Junoon ran for five years with over 500 episodes on Doordarshan.

The popular 1994 TV show Junoon was on air for five years and released over 500 episodes on Doordarshan. Back in the day, it set a record for the longest-running programme on an Indian TV channel. The show starred popular actors such as Mangal Dhillon as Sumer Rajvansh and Shashi Puri as Aditya Dhanraj. In the show, the two characters were always at loggerheads, and were rivals in business. The story revolved around their families, and bore a similarity to Jeffery Archer’s 1979 novel Kane and Abel. The series also starred Archana Puran Singh, Neena Gupta, Kitu Gidwani, Tom Alter, late Saeed Jaffrey, Farida Jalal, Parikshit Sahni, Vijayendra Ghatge, Benjamin Gilani and Smita Jayakar, among others.

Junoon ran for five years with over 500 episodes on Doordarshan.

It was one of the first weekly shows that triggered the trend of long-running soaps on television. Not only did the series garner high ratings during the late evening slot, but the repeats of the episodes that were aired in the afternoon, too, had a large viewership. Archana says, “It was different, well crafted, well executed, and had a strong story. Of course, a few years later, the story deviated a little. But, the first 50 episodes were awesome. It was a modern show for its time.”

Speaking of the show, Kitu Gidwani says that acting in it was a “fulfilling experience,” as her character had “many shades.”

Archana was the first choice for the role, as there were a handful of popular actors back then. She was glad to be part of a show, in which she didn’t have to play a comic role. “People think that I can’t act. Usually, I am offered a comic or a villain’s role. I am thankful to the producers, who saw the potential in me,” she says.

Archana Puran Singh reveals that she and Kitu were good friends with Mangal.

Kitu and Archana were good friends with Mangal. Archana says, “Mangal is a fantastic theatre actor. He had a great command over Hindi, and was dedicated to his role. We were backslapping buddies. We would chat all day. Saeed regaled us with his British anecdotes. I was in great company, and I learnt a lot from them. I grew with the role.” Kitu, too, enjoyed the company of the talented actors. She says, “There were so many people on the sets, and the synergy between the actors was good. I was quite friendly with Mangal and Tom. I hung out with them the most.

A still from the hot 1994 show, Junoon.

In those times, real locations were often used for the shoots. Junoon was shot at Nagi Villa, Juhu. Archana recalls that “there were no vanity vans”. They shared makeup rooms. “Once, Faridaji and I were sharing a room, when Mangal came in and said he wanted to change his clothes. I turned my back to him, and kept applying my makeup while he changed. Those were the days when good work was done with the little [facilities] that we had, unlike the paraphernalia on TV show sets today, which doesn’t even contribute to the end product,” she adds.