Rajani’ was a popular TV series telecast in Doordarshan DD National in 1985. It made Priya Tendulkar an overnight star on small screen. The reason was that she played a character and carried on her shoulder various issues in society and then justifies her cause to win finally. For the first time, a series was shown to create awareness in the society. Filmmaker Basu Chatterjee directed the series, and it was telecast in 1985. Actor Karan Razdan wrote the series.
It is believed that actress Padmini Kolhapure had opted out of the project, and Priya Tendulkar was roped in to play the character of ‘Rajani’ in the serial. Priya Tendulkar narrated very well the character of an undaunted middle-class homemaker who would fight the daily injustices of urban life. She transformed herself into a crusader. Actress Priya Tendulkar is still recognized for her role that centered on the character of troubleshooter.
She was a representative of a Mumbai suburban colony who can handle any situation where even men feared to enter. It is stated that when Rajani could sketch some problem in society, next day either gas cylinder operators or even taxi-owners would march to Doordarshan claiming that what had been shown was not what they actually were. In fact, the TV series triggered off a reaction from society beyond expectations.
On the other hand, viewers would call up Doordarshan for showing the series in support of it. It was in fact very true that success of Rajani was not just a phenomenon; it even became a real movement in the society. It is also heard that Rajani had outstripped other TV series popularity and gained a substantial increase in viewership of about 94 per cent in the metros. This TV series was well presented by Basu Chatterjee. With good acting from Priya Tendulkar, good dialogues and underlying humor in the plot, the series caught viewer’s reaction very well.