Television trauma : how times have changed

Once upon a time ( well,just about ten years ago) Indian television was much better than cinema. In those days it was very difficult to launch a small,experimental film.Obviously there weren't any multiplexes, and none of the smaller production houses such as UTV had yet come into being.This meant that a whole lot of directors,actors and writers who wanted to create distinct,unusual stories were stymied by the mainstream's inability to take a risk.Naturally, TV emerged as an attractive choice for talent : risk was mitigated by the scale of what you undertook,and if you were smart enough,an  single episode was enough to bring your story to the viewers.I particularly remember a show on Star called Saturday Bestsellers ( if memory serves me correctly).Actors such as Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra and Kay Kay Menon formed a part of its revolving cast. They were episodic one hour stories. There was a particularly gruesome one on honor killings,long before the subject caught so much national attention.A group of bumbling farmers live in a little village in Rajasthan. Their sister is in love with a low caste boy (Varun Badola) who lives nearby-both are terrified that her brothers will find out and retaliate. The farmers go out, en masse, to the city to buy a tractor.Various antics ensue ( think rustic hijinks in the tone of Salman Khan in Dabangg) ,the farmers come across as charming,and their naive enjoyment at the city's novelties is beautifully portrayed.At the end of the day, they pile into the tractor like children tired after a day of play.On the highway,while going home,they spot Varun Badola going home on his bicycle. The mood changes - they want to demonstrate their vehicle's superiority, and the two begin to race.They try to overtake the bicycle but cannot;in a moment of spontaneous cruelty,they crush him under their wheels. On the deserted highway,no one comes to know.The last shot is of the boy's sweetheart,wistfully looking towards the highway,probably trying to spot him one last time.The metaphorical battle of the bicycle and the tractor,though simplistic,is effective.
A more humorous one centres around a newly married couple(Irrfan Khan and Tisca Chopra).They move into one of those small 'two room sets' deemed appropriate for a new family.Their landlord is a Subhash Chandra Bose enthusiast ,verging on the border of eccentricity and insanity. The landlady (Himani Shivpuri) is respectful and caring towards him;but it's clear that she's very well aware of her husband's state of mind and carries on regardless.Irrfan himself is very well pleased with a pretty,docile wife and domestic comfort.But gradually,he begins to feel that his landlady's becoming increasingly softened. He perceives her loneliness,her daily struggle,her need for warmth and companionship. Many times she tries to seek him out and spend some time together.This marks her out as a woman (to his mind)  who might be persuaded to become a little fallen.In the ending scene-
Landlady: mujhe aapse koi baat karni hai.
Tenant(silly smile):jo baat aapko kehni hai,mujhe pata hai.main kuch dino se yahi soch raha tha...
Landlady (aghast): Renu ko koi aadmi roz milne aata hai-yeh baat aapko pata hai?
The End. And the end of this long post too.