[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcxtfg2J7p8]
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The childhood in the 80s India was quite different than anything kids can imagine today. It was the last generation to play outside, the first generation to play “computer games” and video games! There was only one television channel against perhaps the thousands we have today. And the kids on the TV and the movies formed an important part of the childhood memory. But we don’t know where most of them are today. Until now that is…
- Parle G Girl
So this one goes much beyond the 80s, this is really our parents’ childhood mystery kid. Although we had our own opinion on the actual biscuits, we have always wondered who the baby on the cover was. So finally this photo has been circulating recently. It is Neeru Deshpande. She is about 53 years old now and is married to a businessman in Nagpur.
BUT BUT But That is not the truth!
UPDATE: Sorry People! According to the new information put up by Economic Times in their conversation with the Group Product Manager of Parle G company the above is not true. This girl is not Neeru Deshpande or any other girls claimed by various websites. This girl is a work of imagination by Artist Maganlal Daiya at the ad agency called Everest Creatives.
Colgate girl Baby Guddu
The girl who was most known to us through the Colgate ad before Rangoli on Sunday morning. According to India TV which did an exclusive called Talash, searched for her whereabouts - and they have this info about her. Her name is Shahinda Baig. She had a wonderful streak in her academics as well and works for an airline company (apparently Emirates,) in Dubai. She has starred in about 23 films as a child artist.
Manjunath Nayekar aka Swami from Malgudi Days
Swami was, for many of us, our projection on the TV. He had the same worries and joys. His world was his friends, his family and what happened around it.
The actor who played Swami, Manjunath Nayekar, went on to act in more than 60 films in Kannada and Hindi as a child artist. After which he left the limelight and currently works in Bangalore.
The book was written by R K Narayan and he based the character of Rajam on his wife, whose name was also Rajam. The character projects the writer’s meeting, falling in love and his separation anxiety.
Although written in a different time, this portrayal of the character by director Shankar Nag, is a timeless classic. I am certain even kids today can relate with this classic somehow.
And thanks to Manjunath's own popular social media accounts we have a picture of Rajam and Mani and how they are all grown up now.
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LTOR - Swami, Rajam and Mani from Malgudi Days! Manjunath Nayakar, Rohit Srinath, and Raghuram Sitaram.[/caption]
Gotya - Joy Ghanekar
This was a Marathi serial. But also it was Doordarshan era. It was simple and sweet, like this serial. I don’t really remember much of the story as I was hardly 6 when it came. But this kid was loved by parents all over.
The actor’s name is Joy Ghanekar. This whole article happened because of this kid. I happened to see Trikaal by Shyam Benegal (excellent movie!) and there were these two kids and one of the face seemed familiar. It was Gotya! And so I searched for him. And so Joy is now settled in the USA, married and with a baby, according to the profile pic on Twitter!
I love you Rasna girl - Ankita Jhaveri
Rasna was a must have drink in every home. Mainly because we agreed so much with Rasna girl. On retrospect there were other drinks that were equally or more tasty but most of our hearts were set on this drink that initially came only in the orange flavour. Good branding Rasna, package it for a kid and whole family has to agree!
And the Rasna girl, she is Ankita Jhaveri and she is a popular actor in cinema down South. I remember when they changed the model, I was upset. My father explained that she had lost her tooth so she would be back on TV once she got her new set of teeth back! I believed that!
Ayesha Takia Shahid Kapoor: Complan Boy Complan Girl
Although I was not very eager to drink the milk with or without complan, I certainly liked the ad, and nudged my little brother with the, "I am a Complan girl," phrase. What we discovered thanks to the internet is that those kids were now-popular actors Shahid Kapoor and Ayesha Takia.
The "Mr. India" Kids
Not many of us watched Star Wars when we were kids. But to us, Mr. India was as techno-savvy as it got! So all the kids in Mr. India were our favourite kids! But where are they now? We know some of them! Most of them seemed to have stayed away from limelight, (let us know if you know where they are, or if you are them!)
Mysterious Tina: Baby Priyanka
Huzaan Khodaiji as Tina from Mr. India
Update: Thanks to actress Shonali Nagrani who shared this picture on her Twitter account we now know who beloved baby Tina is. Her name is Huzaan Khodaiji. Good to know her cuteness still remains unchanged. And she had moved to Chennai soon after the movie was completed and was apparently even unaware of the public curiosity about her whereabouts (that is the only way I can think of phrasing the line right now). Now if actress Shonali Nagrani had known her for a long time then she stands to change the adage, "Women cannot keep a secret." Well almost!
Although we loved all the kids from Mr. India, let's just say it, baby Tina still has a special place in our heart. And we cannot still get over the ending. The director Shekhar Kapur tells the wonderful story about the scene. However, it seems no one knows (and the moviemakers won't reveal it either,) who baby Tina is, and what she does at the moment. Actually even the name has not been confirmed, it is just assumed to be Priyanka, because the credits have a name that cannot be attributed to any other kid. Of course none, of the IMDB or Wikipedia source can taken seriously! One source on the Internet claims that she is an ad executive in Lintas. We love the mystique around it but can't help wondering! One trick is to go to Lintas and make every woman there say "Arun bhaaiya," because I am sure no one else can say it quite like that!
Aftab Shivdasani
So it was this kid in Mr. India, too cool for school. The kid grew up to become the actor Aftab Shivdasani. His career trajectory doesn’t yet match the childhood charisma, but hey he is an artist, don’t give up on him!
The Break dance kid - Ahmed Khan
So some of the kids went behind the camera. Ahmed Khan, the kid who does the break dance remained happily in his dancing shoes! He is one of the popular choreographers in Bollywood!
Masoom Movie Kids
Aradhana Srivastav: Minni from Masoom
So really only a few of us watched this movie. But we know these kids from the popular “lakdi ki kathi” song. She was the girl that sang the kids' favourite "Lakdi ki kathi," she worked in a couple of movies after that but soon bowed out to pursue education and then family. She currently lives in Delhi and teaches music at a prestigious music school.
Urmila Matondkar
The cute kid from Masoom is a well known face. Urmila Matondkar went on to reinvent herself in the cult classic Rangeela.
Jugal Hansraj
Jugal Hansraj was a name anyone could have bet on. He had chocolate boy looks and definitely talent. He is still active in the movie industry and behind the camera. He was last heard directing the animated movie Roadside Romeo!
The Voice of Mowgli
Have you ever wondered who was the voice artist for Mowgli in the Hindi series? Apparently it is Vinod Kulkarni. The Wikipedia page credits him for the Japanese voiceover but that is scripting error. There is one more name that appeared, that of Kaustubh Bhoge, but that is for the recent movie. This suggestion is open for correction though.
Betaal from Vikram aur Betaal
The actor who played Betaal is credited as Sajjan Kumar.
Actor Sajjan Kumar was a popular actor during the 60s. He played supporting role with the likes of Dev Anand, most memorably in the movie Paying Guest.
Who else?
Did I miss out anyone? Anyone that was part of the era and your memories? Let me know in the comments.
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