Bharat Ek Khoj is a 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru, that dramatically unfolds the 5000 year history of India from its beginnings to the coming of independence in 1947. The drama was directed, written and produced by Shyam Benegal with cinematographer V. K. Murthy in 1988 for state-owned Doordarshan. Benegal's regular script collaborator Shama Zaidi also co-wrote the script.

Living in a posh mansion named Swarg, this is the story of Sahabji, his wife sister Jyoti, two brothers, and a sister-in-law. Sahabji has a clash of wits with Dhanraj, who successfully schemes with Sahabji's two brothers, and takes over the prestigious mansion and vast business empire, leaving Sahabji virtually penniless, and devastated with the passing away of his wife. His brothers have now taken over the money, and his business. It is now up to a servant of the mansion, Krishna to set things right for Sahabji's household. How can a poor servant succeed against rich and powerful individuals?

The spoiled and arrogant brother, Bali, of notorious gangster, Kali Baba, enlists in the National Cadet Corps, and wants to have his way with his fellow-students and trainer, Inder Mohan Lahti, with comical results. When he meets Divya Thapa for the first time, he is smitten by her, and wants to marry her by hook or by crook. But Divya is in love with Karan, and both plan to marry each other. Circumstances act against them, and they flee together, with Kali Baba's men, and Divya's Police Commissioner dad, Yashpal Thapa, in hot pursuit, to an unknown destination, surrounded by a web of lies, deception, and no known resource to assist them.

Four unemployed young men befriend their new neighbors, but soon tragedy strikes and everything is shattered.

A promising talent succumbs to sports politics and moves on to live a life far from the game he was once inseparable from. Once a darling to all, now an aloof and angry man, changed by conspiracies of people at mighty positions. The hopelessness from being unable to play the game he was passionate about makes some noticeable scars on his psyche. He lives on to lead an ordinary life while blaming sports for everything wrong in his world. His agony and perceived hatred for sports trickle down to his family, where his son is forbidden to pursue sports or any activity digressing him from the established path of studies.

Vijeta (The Victor) is the coming of age story of Angad (Kunal Kapoor). Confused like any other teenager trying to find himself and caught in between the marital problems of his mother Neelima (Rekha) and father Nihal (Shashi Kapoor). It is time for him to decide what he wants to do with his life. To select a profession and be someone, Angad chooses to become a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force. What follows is his struggle to become a victor both with his self and the outer world.

Sharda, a nurse and single mother, raises her daughter Swati as an independent, articulate young woman. Swati is a strong advocate of women's rights in a society where there is significant male domination. Swati deals with eve teasers firmly, sometimes with considerable force. When a married friend of hers gets raped in the presence of her husband, she acts as a counsellor and helps them adjust to the reality of a society that blames the victim and not the rapists. Swati takes on a huge transformation when she meets a political activist and falls in love with him. She embarks on a project of matchmaking for her mother and engineers a wedding with a widower who has a grown-up daughter.

Bhagat Singh, a freedom fighter, is arrested for killing the British official responsible for the death of his mentor Lala Lajpatrai. He is ultimately hanged for his misdeed.

Raja(Haider Khan) is a guy who has always remained a 'good friend' to most of the girls, that is if they have not already beaten him up! He has always been shy, never to open his heart out. Raja meets the girl of his dreams Anamika(Sada) in tube in Malaysia. She is a spoilt, arrogant daughter of a billionaire in Malaysia. As days pass, Raja gets more and more hooked on to her and expresses his feelings to her. This is when his life takes a different turn and he is left on the thresholds of life.

Three old men, who used to be close friends during their school days, embark on a train journey from Bombay to Rajpur to attend the centenary celebration of their boarding school. As they travel, memories of their student activism and past failures flood their minds. Upon reaching their destination, they are confronted by political skirmishes that serve as a stark reminder of the occasions when they had failed to stay true to their conscience.

Ajay is an aspiring filmmaker who dreams of directing his first feature while his wife, Asha, works as a teacher. He balances odd jobs with his cinematic ambitions, navigating the harsh realities of the film industry while always holding onto the hope of finally making his film.

Vijay and Nupur start liking each other after a chance meeting at a bus stop. Suresh (Sidey) is Vijay's boss' son and wants to marry Nupur but ends up liking Nupur's maid, Imarti. Sidey's father is under the influence of a pot-smoking Swami who has a terrible secret hidden from everyone.