Narasimhan shot to fame with 'Malgudi Days'

Eminent film and teleserial producer, T S Narasimhan, 86, who shot to fame nationwide with his famous teleserial ‘Malgudi Days’ died on Saturday after a prolonged illness at his residence near Tata Silk Farm on K R Road. He is survived by his three children.

Narasimhan, who was known for discipline and sharp memory had lost his retention due to Alzheimer’s, which gradually turned into dementia. He started his career as an employee with Department of Telecommunication, but soon quit it to carve a niche for himself in the tinsel town. His movies had the quality of leaving a deep imprint on the viewers, compelling them to ponder over the message he wanted to convey.

The noted filmmaker had earned laurels for movies such as ‘Bangarada Jinke,’ ‘Banker Margayya’ and ‘Naviddeevi Echcharike.’

But it was ‘Malgudi Days’ that earned him recognition across the globe. The serial based on R K Narayan’s famous novel was directed by noted film actor/director Shankar Nag.

The serial aired in Doordarshan way back in ’80s became a grand hit. It gave a glimpse of pre-independence India in its subtleties in an imaginative town called Malgudi, somewhere in South India.

Narayan lauds

The sincerity with which the serial was made won the heart of Narayan, who commended Narasimhan and his team for breathing life into his novel.

Master Manjunath, who had played the role of Swami in some of the episodes of Malgudi Days, condoled the death of the famous film producer. “I had worked with him in Malgudi Days. He was a very disciplined film director. It is very sad to learn that he is no more,” he said.
Narasimhan's association with T S Nagabharana was quite successful.

The duo made two Hindi tele-serials, ‘Tenali Rama’ and ‘Stone Boy,’ which again were very popular. The children's film ‘Naviddeevi Echcharike,’ which was directed by Nagabharana, won the children's film award by the Karnataka government.

Recalling his association with Narasimhan, Nagabharana said: “He was a successful, responsible and disciplined film producer. He would never compromise with the work. Many technicians found it difficult to work with him because he never tolerated lethargy.”

Narasimhan had also served in National Film Development Corporation and Central Board of Film Censors.

Condoling his death B Vijay Kumar, president, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce said in his death, the Karantaka film industry had suffered an irreparable loss.