Throwback 2018: The year retro starred on the small screen
If the ‘Every ’90s kid ever’ quizzes and hunting for Pokémon weren’t enough, shows streaming on OTT platforms took you down memory lane too.
It’s been a year of throwback entertainment and nostalgia programming. If the ‘Every ’90s kid ever’ quizzes and hunting for Pokémon weren’t enough, there are now shows streaming on OTT platforms that take you down memory lane, picking through childhood memories with soundtracks that ring a bell, taking you right back into the ’70s and ’80s.
TV shows
Netflix has been playing the nostalgia card for a while, with shows like Stranger Things (2016) set in the 1980s and filled with pop-culture references to that era including classic hits by The Clash, Queen and Jon Bon Jovi.
This past year, they also debuted The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a dark retelling of the ’90s family comedy-drama, Sabrina: The Teenage Witch.
And carrying on from last year, we’ve had Riverdale, which follows the adventures of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica.
Movies
Back home, Bollywood is famous for remakes of hits and flops alike, but 2018 has been a year of reminiscing. If Sarfarosh (1999) redefined Aamir Khan’s movie career, John Abraham’s Sarfarosh 2, set to go on the floors next year, is an attempt to woo all those who loved that throwback tale of an honest cop taking on terrorists.
Also making a comeback is the 1991 Mahesh Bhatt film, Sadak, the story of a taxi driver in love with a prostitute. Sadak 2, due out in 2020, will star Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur.
The return of the everyman hero
We’ve seen the return also of the everyman hero as opposed to the romantic star. In the 1970s, we had Amol Palekar and Farooq Sheikh. Today, we have the proudly un-star-like Rajkummar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana and Vicky Kaushal. They star in films that tell riveting stories about middle-class or small-town characters. They won’t necessarily make you swoon, but they’re talented, versatile and real — think Rajkummar Rao in Newton or Trapped.
