Malgudi Days (TV series)

Last updated

Malgudi Days
DVD Cover of Malgudi Days.jpeg
Based on Malgudi Days
by R. K. Narayan
Directed by Shankar Nag (seasons 1–3)
Kavitha Lankesh (season 4)
Theme music composer L. Vaidyanathan
ComposerL. Vaidyanathan
Country of originIndia
Original languagesHindi
English
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes54
Original release
Network Doordarshan
Release24 September 1986 (1986-09-24) 
2006 (2006-MM)

Malgudi Days is an Indian television series that started in 1986, [1] and was filmed in both English (first 13 episodes) and Hindi (all 54 episodes), based on the 1943 short story collection of the same name by R. K. Narayan. The series was directed by Kannada actor and director Shankar Nag. Carnatic musician L. Vaidyanathan composed the score, while R. K. Narayan's younger brother and acclaimed cartoonist R. K. Laxman was the sketch artist. [2] The series was made by film producer T.S. Narasimhan. [3] In 2006, the series was revived for an additional 15 episodes, which were directed by Kavitha Lankesh. [2]

Contents

Plot

The series is adapted from the collections of short stories written by R. K. Narayan in his books Malgudi Days, A Horse and Two Goats, An Astrologer's Day and Other Short Stories, as well as the novels Swami and Friends , and The Vendor of Sweets.

Episodes

Season - 1 (1986 - 13 Episodes)

Season - 2 (1987 - 13 Episodes)

Season - 3 (1988 - 13 Episodes)

Season - 4 (2006 - 15 Episodes)

Cast

Production

The series Malgudi Days, comprising thirty nine episodes, was first telecast on Doordarshan in 1986. Most of the series was shot in Agumbe village in Shimoga district, Karnataka. [4] [5] Art director John Devaraj transformed Agumbe into Malgudi by creating "carts, statues, avenues, shops, bus stand, schools, shops". Donkeys were transported from Shimoga to Agumbe and elephants from Bangalore, Austin and Hindustan cars were borrowed from friends while a road-roller had to be transported from Bangalore. Shankar Nag erected a land "replete with dancers, wrestlers, fire eaters, bangle sellers" for the episode "Talkative Man". Shankar Nag and Narasimhan initially considered Mysore but since the town has become urbanized, they considered Nanjangud however they rejected it "because of its proximity to Mysore" then they finally zeroed in on Agumbe. [6] Some episodes were filmed in Bengaluru and some others in Devarayanadurga located in Tumakuru district in Karnataka. [7] One episode, "Nitya", was shot entirely in Devarayanadurga. [8] Railway station scenes were shot at Arasalu village railway station. [6] [9] Shankar preferred to shoot the series in "celluloid film rather than shoot digitally". [10]

New series

In 2004, the project was revived with filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh replacing Shankar Nag as director. [2] The new series was telecast from 26 April 2006 on Doordarshan. [11] Most of the stories in the series are one episode long and were derived from the books A Horse and Two Goats , Malgudi Days , Swami and Friends and The Vendor of Sweets .

Legacy

Indian Railways decided to rename Arasalu Railway station of Shivamogga District, Karnataka, India to Malgudi Railway station as homage to the location of Malgudi Days serial. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. K. Narayan</span> Indian writer (1906-2001)

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, better known as R. K. Narayan, was an Indian writer and novelist known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.

Malgudi is a fictional town located in Agumbe situated in the Shivamogga district of the Indian state of Karnataka in the novels and short stories of R. K. Narayan. It forms the setting for most of Narayan's works. Starting with his first novel, Swami and Friends, all but one of his fifteen novels and most of his short stories take place here. Malgudi was a portmanteau of two Bengaluru localities - Malleshwara and Basavanagudi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shimoga</span> City in Karnataka, India

Shimoga,( officially known as Shivamogga,) is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city is popularly nicknamed the "Gateway of Malnad". The population of Shimoga city is 322,650 as per 2011 census. The city has been selected for the Smart Cities project, standing in the fourth position in the state and 25th in the country as of November 2020.

<i>Swami and Friends</i> Novel by Indian author R. K. Narayan

Swami and Friends is the first of a series of novels written by R. K. Narayan (1906–2001), English language novelist from India. The novel, the first book Narayan wrote, is set in British India in a town called Malgudi. The second and third books in the trilogy are The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girish Karnad</span> Indian playwright, actor, director, and writer

Girish Karnad was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi films. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the coming of age of modern Indian playwriting in Kannada, just as Badal Sarkar did in Bengali, Vijay Tendulkar in Marathi, and Mohan Rakesh in Hindi. He was a recipient of the 1998 Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred in India.

<i>The Vendor of Sweets</i> 1967 novel by R. K. Narayan

The Vendor of Sweets (1967), by R. K. Narayan, is the biography of a fictional character named Sri K. V. Jagan who is a sweet vendor of Malgudi. The story beautifully reflects his conflict with his estranged son and how he finally leaves for renunciation, overwhelmed by the sheer pressure and monotony of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shankar Nag</span> Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer

Shankar Nagarakatte was an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer known for his work in Kannada-language films and television. A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, Nag is often referred to as Karate King. He directed the teleserial Malgudi Days, based on novelist R. K. Narayan's short stories and acted in some episodes as well. He won two National Film Awards, four Karnataka State Film Awards and two Filmfare Award South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agumbe</span> Village in Karnataka, India

Agumbe is a village situated in the Thirthahalli taluka of Shivamogga district, Karnataka, India. It is nestled in the thickly forested Malenadu region of the Western Ghats mountain range. Owing to its high rainfall, it has received the epithet of "The Cherrapunji of South India", after Cherrapunji, one of the rainiest places in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anant Nag</span> Indian actor, politician (born 1948)

Anant Nagarkatte is an Indian actor whose predominant contribution has been in Kannada cinema. He has acted in over 300 films which include over 200 Kannada films as well as Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and English films. He has featured in theatre plays, parallel cinema and television shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shimoga district</span> District of Karnataka in India

Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view point is a major tourist attraction. As of 2011 Shimoga district has a population of 17,52,753. There are seven taluks: Soraba, Sagara, Hosanagar, Shimoga, Shikaripura, Thirthahalli, and Bhadravathi. Channagiri and Honnali were part of Shimoga district until 1997 when they became part of the newly formed Davanagere district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arundathi Nag</span> Indian actress, theatre personality

Arundhati Nag is an Indian actress. She has been involved with multilingual Theatre in India, for over 25 years, first in Mumbai where she got involved with Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), and did various productions in Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi theatre, and then in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and English, in Bangalore.

Swami is a Hindu honorific title, which also has other meanings such as the husband, possessor, or owner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kavitha Lankesh</span> Indian film director

Kavitha Lankesh is an Indian film director, screenwriter and a lyricist known for her work in Kannada cinema industry. She began as a documentary film-maker before directing her first feature film, Deveeri (1999), which went on to win international, national and state awards. She is considered to be one of the renowned film-makers of Kannada cinema. She has directed and produced more than fifty documentaries/informational films and more than forty corporate films. Some of the films Kavitha directed have won awards and accolades from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Mysore</span> Cultural capital of Karnataka

Mysore is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is known as the cultural capital of Karnataka. Mysore was the capital of the Wodeyar kings who ruled over the Mysore Kingdom for many centuries. Wodeyars were great patrons of art and music and have contributed significantly to make Mysore a cultural centre. Mysore is well known for its palaces, museums and art galleries and the festivities that take place here during the period of Dasara attract a worldwide audience. Mysore has also lent its name to popular dishes like Mysore Masala Dosa and Mysore Pak. Mysore is also the origin of the popular silk sari known as Mysore silk sari and has also given rise to a popular form of painting known as Mysore painting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesh Bhat</span> Indian Kannada film actor

Ramesh Bhat is a multiple-award–winning Indian actor. He has worked predominantly in Kannada films and television serials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dharmaraya Swamy Temple</span> Hindu temple in Bangalore, India

Shri Dharmaraya Swamy Temple is one of the oldest and most famous Hindu temples of the city of Bangalore, in Karnataka, India.

<i>Malgudi Days</i> (short story collection) 1943 collection of short stories by R. K. Narayan

Malgudi Days is a collection of short stories by R. K. Narayan published in 1943 by Indian Thought Publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master Manjunath</span> Indian actor

Manjunath Nayaker is a former Indian actor and public relations professional. He is better known by his screen name, Master Manjunath and "Swamy" for his lead role in the television series Malgudi Days (1987) directed by Shankar Nag and in its film version, Swami And Friends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anant Nag filmography</span>

Anant Nag is an Indian actor and occasional film producer who appears as an actor in predominantly in Kannada films and a few Hindi and Telugu films. In a career spanning over 5 decades, he has appeared in over 270 films. After having had a successful theatre career, he made his debut in P. V. Nanjaraja Urs' Kannada film Sankalpa, and Shyam Benegal's Dakhani film Ankur, with the former seeing theatrical release first, in 1973, and won multiple awards at the 1972–73 Karnataka State Film Awards. In G. V. Iyer's 1975 film Hamsageethe, he played the role of Bhairavi Venkatasubbiah, a performance that won critical praise, and the film was awarded the Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 23rd National Film Awards.

Shankar Nag was an Indian film actor, director, screenwriter and producer known for his work in Kannada cinema. He directed seven Kannada films and one Marathi film. He also wrote the story and screenplay of many of these including a few films that he did not direct. After beginning his acting career in theatre, Nag took to films making his debut in a bit role in the 1978 Marathi anti-superstition drama Sarvasakshi. His Kannada film debut came in the same year with Ondanondu Kaladalli directed by Girish Karnad, in which Nag played the lead, a mercenary named Gandugali. The role that fetched him the Silver Peacock for the Best Actor Award (Male) at the 7th International Film Festival of India. Other than Minchina Ota, he also co-produced two of his directorial ventures — Janma Janmada Anubandha (1980) and Geetha (1981).

References

  1. Jain, Madhu. "R.K. Narayan's Malgudi does exist; recreated for television". India Today. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "The return of Malgudi Days". Rediff. 21 July 2006. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  3. "Classics from Karnataka". The Hindu . 9 February 2004. Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  4. Riti, M.D. (16 May 2001). "'You acted exactly as I imagined Swami to be'". The Rediff Special. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  5. "The Malgudi that is Agumbe". The Hindu . 20 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011.
  6. 1 2 "When Agumbe turned Malgudi". The Hindu. 8 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. "Memories of Malgudi". The Times of India. 16 October 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  8. "Episode 22, Nitya". Youtube. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  9. "The train will now stop at Malgudi!". The Hindu. 5 September 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. "The man who brought Malgudi to screen is no more". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  11. "Malgudi Days on DD1". The Hindu . 12 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  12. M, Shrinivasa (3 March 2019). "Shivamogga's Arasalu set to be rechristened Malgudi Station". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.