Malgudi Days

Malgudi Days is an Indian television series based on the works of R.K. Narayan. The series was directed by the late Kannada actor and director, Shankar Nag and Carnatic musician L. Vaidyanathan composed the score. R. K Narayan's brother and acclaimed cartoonist R. K. Laxman was the sketch artist. The series was made in 1986 by film producer T. S. Narasimhan with Anant Nag as the lead actor.

Thirty-nine episodes of Malgudi Days were telecast on Doordarshan. Subsequently, it was re-telecast on Doordarshan and later on Sony Entertainment Television, and Maa Television in Telugu. This television series was shot entirely near Agumbe in Shimoga District, Karnataka.

In 2004, the project was revived with film-maker Kavitha Lankesh replacing the late Shankar Nag as director. The new series was telecast from April 26, 2006 on Doordarshan.

The Plot:

Most of the stories in the series are one episode long. The stories are from the books A Horse and Two Goats, Malgudi Days, Swami and Friends and The Vendor Of Sweets.

Swami and Friends revolves around the everyday life of ten-year old Swaminathan, or Swami as he is known by other characters. Swami portrays the growing up pangs of a boy who despises school, as he makes excuses and roams around Malgudi with his friends. Swami's father works in a government office and his mother is a housewife. At home, Swami shares his adventures with his aged granny, who lovingly addresses him as "Chamy." Swami also has two close friends: Mani and the son of the Police Chief Superintendent, Rajam. Swami's character was portrayed by Manjunath, a regular actor in many of Shankar Nag's productions.

The Vendor Of Sweets narrates the story of a sweet vendor, Jagan, his business and confrontation with his son who had returned from abroad. The title role was played by Kannada actor Anant Nag, and most of the actors cast in this serial were from Kannada film Industry. It was directed by Anant Nag's younger brother Shankar Nag.