How Shankar Nag's Malgudi Days came to life

The much-loved serial from the 1980s is now out in a Kannada version. Here is the fascinating story behind the creation of the classic

The very mention of ‘Malgudi Days’ evokes pleasant nostalgia for many. The television serial was a rage in the 1980s.

Set in Karnataka and drawing on the best of Kannada acting talent, the serial had Hindi dialogues as it was shown on Doordarshan from Delhi. It has now been dubbed into Kannada and will be aired every weekday on Zee Kannada and Zee Kannada HD from May 11.

Directed by Shankar Nag, then at the peak of his creative career, the serial comprised three seasons of 13 episodes each. The stories were adapted from the works of R K Narayan, a literary giant who had famously trashed Dev Anand’s cinematic portrayal of his novel ‘The Guide’.

Malgudi Days had the best of Kannada actors with a strong background in theatre — Anant Nag, Girish Karnad, Suhasini Adarkar, B Jayashree, Vishnuvardhan and Vaishali Kasaravalli among others. It was produced by T S Narasimhan.

The shooting began in 1985 in misty Agumbe in Thirthahalli taluk, Shivamogga, a place Shankar Nag loved. Within weeks, the village became R K Narayan’s Malgudi. With more than 100 actors and no hotel anywhere in the vicinity, the village hosted the cast and crew.

Anant Nag: I told Shankar to take up the project

Anant Nag, who acted in 13 episodes, thinks Shankar took up a big challenge when he agreed to direct ‘Malgudi Days.’ “People will surely understand its relevance and value when they now watch it in Kannada. Those days, there was only Doordarshan and the terms weren’t financially attractive, but I asked Shankar to take it up because he could showcase his directorial skills. This was a huge opportunity from the south. He told me that he would go ahead only if I agreed to be an active participant in the process. I gladly stepped in,” Anant told Showtime.

Although Narayan wrote in English, his approach to life and writing was distinctly Indian, and south Indian. “He wrote in simple English but he conveyed a great deal. Bringing that simplicity to life through Malgudi was a challenge,” says Anant.

Shankar had worked in theatre in Bombay so he knew the best of the stage talent in Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi, and so he brought about 250 artistes over to help him. “Interestingly, ‘Malgudi Days’ had Vishnuvardhan, who after ‘Vamsha Vriksha’ had not done any art film, cast opposite Gayathri, my wife, who had also not done an art film in a long time. They both did superbly well,” recollects Anant.

Arundhati Nag: R K Narayan was happy to give us the rights

When the shooting began for Malgudi Days in Agumbe, the excitement was high, recalls Arundathi Nag, dialogue writer, assistant editor and costume designer for Malgudi Days. “We were thrilled that we got to do R K Narayan’s stories. We did a pilot first. We did one episode that was to be shown to him. We shot it somewhere near our house, near an old fort in Hosur.”

“We didn’t have an art director those days, so I borrowed a temple door from Venky, a friend, and temple wooden bells. Everything was borrowed from friends. The bed cover, with a big circle in the centre, became the dress for the bull in the flashback sequence. We put it all together to match the period. We worked very hard to make it acceptable to Narayan,” she says.

When the team showed him the first episode, he liked the way Shankar had handled it. “He was so convinced that he said he didn’t want to see anymore work and was confident of Shankar’s abilities. He gave us the rights. That’s how we began shooting,” says Arundhati.

Shankar shot 39 episodes of Malgudi Days. He died in a road accident in 1986, the year it was shown on national television.

Kavitha Lankesh: Its stories evoke simple, beautiful feelings

In 2006, 20 years after it was first shown, Malgudi Days was revived by film director Kavitha Lankesh.

“I wasn’t sure if I would be able to match up the standards set by Shankar. Television wasn’t really my cup of tea but I took it up because I loved the subject and the whole idea of Malgudi was overwhelming,” recalls Kavitha.

Kavitha says by the time she went to Agumbe to shoot Malgudi Days, a lot had changed. “By then the artists who came on board had commercial interests in mind, there were a lot more vehicles on the roads, and Agumbe had almost become a highway. I shot 18 episodes,” says Kavitha.

She feels Narayan and Malgudi Days still hold a lot of relevance today. “Today’s gadget-driven generation may not relate to the situations shown in Malgudi but the older generation and those in middle age will surely slip into a nostalgic mode once the episodes are telecast. The stories evoke a simple and beautiful feeling. The minuscule problems shown in the serial hold a mirror up to old India,” says Kavitha.

Ramesh Bhat: I was in charge of costumes and backgrounds

Actor Ramesh Bhat was Shankar’s right-hand man. He says working on ‘Malgudi Days’ was by far the most fulfilling project in his career. “The project rests on events that occurred in the pre-independence era. And to create that setting was excitement in itself,” recollects Ramesh. He says that he was drawn to the project because of two things: Shankar Nag and Narayan.

He vividly remembers the untiring efforts that went into transforming Agumbe into Malgudi.

“It was during the pre-Independence era when Swami and friends took part in the freedom struggle. They revolted against the use of foreign goods. When shooting, we had to make sure that light poles weren’t seen because electricity hadn’t come in,” he says.

Shankar wanted the serial not to look too cinematic and commercial. “Care was taken to make sure that even the smallest detail was not missed. You won’t find plastic buttons, and the hairdos resemble those in the pre-Independence era,” says Ramesh.

In addition to playing small roles, Ramesh was given the responsibility of making sure the actors were all given the right costumes, and the background activity for every shot was authentic.

“Malgudi Days had most of the senior Kannada actors and those from Shankar’s ‘Sanket’ troupe and some theatre artistes from Mumbai. We were all driven by a passion for the arts and wanted to create something never attempted before,” says Ramesh.

Manjunath Nayaker: I was just 9 when I played Swami

Manjunath Nayaker, who played Swami, is thrilled that Kannadigas finally get to watch a serial that had the best of Kannada actors in it.

“Getting ‘Malgudi Days’ dubbed into Kannada was a long-pending dream. Someone had taken the initiative three years ago but it didn’t take off because there was stiff opposition to other language content being dubbed into Kannada. It’s finally here,” says Manjunath, who is now into his 40s.

Manjunath began acting when he was three. “I had acted in 23 movies, of which seven were directed by Shankar Nag. So I was no stranger to the craft. The only drawback was that I didn’t understand Hindi and spoke in broken English,” he recalls.

Shankar was clear that he wanted Manjunath to play Swami.

“I didn't know who R K Narayan was. All I knew was that I had to act in a serial that was to be in Hindi and English and it was directed by Shankar. I was nine when we were shooting it and I 10 when it was released. It was only much later in when I did my masters in English literature that I realised what a genius Narayan was,” he says.

Manjunath had to work hard on his Hindi dialogue, and was helped by the many seasoned actors on board. “Acting in the film ‘Utsav’ in Hindi also helped me a great deal,” he adds.

The actors were all taken on an outing to the India of the 1940s. “Most of us didn’t have a clue about how India looked like in those days. We were guided by Narayan’s writing and what we were doing was to bring his imagination to life. Having shot there for three months, every year for three years continuously, we had almost become residents of that place and what made it enjoyable was Shankar’s indomitable spirit,” he says.

(Malgudi Days is aired on Zee Kannada and Zee Kannada HD at 9.30 pm every day from Monday to Friday)

All about Malgudi Days

· Three seasons of 13 episodes each

· Based on stories by R K Narayan

· Directed by Shankar Nag

· Anant Nag, Girish Karnad, Vaishali among actors

· Shown across India on Doordarshan in 1986

· Shankar Nag died the same year in a car crash

· Serial was revived in 2006, 20 years later

· 18 new episodes directed by Kavitha Lankesh