Just so...so bad

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I give 10 to this TV series because you can't give more than 10. There is nothing better possible than this in fiction world. The immortal R K Naraynan went on to write Swami and Friends some 90 years ago...I am sure he never knew that people will read/see them in 2016 and still admire. The illustrations by immortal R K Laxman take you to those innocent times when you had no pressures in life except school and that small little town with a Banyan tree, Albert Mission School, Boarding school, Saryu river, and so on. The music, by Great Vaidyanathan, the theme and titles track is something that will remain with us for rest of our lives. Masterpiece work by Master Manjunath, Anant Nag, Girish Karnad, and all other actors..not to forget Mani. My kids watch this in 2016 and they love it. This is such a genius of work that even a 100 years from now, people of all age will see it and love it..such is the greatness of this epic. Famous gazal of Jagjit Singh, ye daulat bhi le lo, ye shohrat bhi le lo...comes to your mind when you see this series.A must watch for kids of age 2 years to 102 years..

The stories are simple yet moving. Some of these stories do have elements of suspense thrillers and almost all of them have healthy humor and existential question marks do come out dancing at the doors of your understanding in some of the stories. These stories as a whole look like celebration of life in all its forms.There is a common theme in all these stories: A person in a unique crisis. This might be crisis of faith or existential nightmare or a peculiar event. What really makes these short stories leave an indelible mark on your memory is: Coherent and very identifiable characters who are struggling for better living or for more happiness. You find that you are in these stories, your neighbor and your friends are also there and that sexagenarian old man who used to tell you great stories of his youth but rarely used to find any audience except you is there in these stories. It seems that these are stories of the village where you used to stay in your childhood. Malgudi Days has become part of memories of great old days which make many of us nostalgic. As I watch these episodes again after a long time, I find that the characters are so intriguing and so perfectly played by some very good artists. The credit indeed goes to great stories written by R K Narayan. Without these stories it would have been impossible to create such profound impact by these episodes.Late Kannada actor and director Shankar Nag directed this television series. Anant Nag has enacted a lot of characters in many episodes. My verdict on his performances is—he is a great method actor and he has accomplished his job with utmost of sincerity. Almost all other actors have done their due with convincing art. As for the masterly direction— it just amazes you every time you watch these episodes. There are a few goofs but they were almost inevitable and if you accept them with entirety of the comely stories, you are left with something very significant to appreciate. Carnatic Musician L. Vidyanathan composed the score for this series and this is one of those musical pieces which stay with you. The sketches shown at the beginning of each episode were done by cartoonist R. K. Laxman.Nothing better than Malgudi Days has ever happened to Indian TV in my opinion. Anything which came close to it was Byomkesh Bakshi. In both of the cases, stories were profound and well appreciated and artists, who chose to work on them for TV avatar, took the project with a great degree of earnestness.You want to visit Malgudi after watching any story and want to become part of those interesting conversations. You want to hear a lot more of those gossips and rumors. You want to sit with villagers near wells and talk about everyday life. You want to witness that most uproarious but yet most linguistically and existentially significant conversation between Muni and USA tourist. You want to be amongst those villagers when that cat inside a vessel is jumping from place to place inside the store and they are scared that a ghost is making those noises.

Dear Friends, This is truly a masterpiece of the TV days when there was only one channel ,namely, Doordarshan. I still remember the Wednesdays when there also used to be Chitrahaar another major attraction on that day. It was a visual treat for children and elders alike. The only one of its type to hold appeal for both children and adults. This TV masterpiece would only be equalled in its popularity by other greats like Mahabarta.It is still remembered to this day because of its lilting music which when I remember those days I can vividly recall the tune. It was a visual delight because it transformed you into a totally different world which you believed really existed. To top it all, there were some characters like the grocer, his servant, the snake-charmer, and of course Swami who looked real people. That was the beauty of this truly classic TV series.

I'm sure a lot of Indians who grew up in the 80s treasure this show as one of the best ever aired in the history of Television. Others in the same league were Katha Sagar, Flop Show, and Mirza Ghalib with a few others. RK Narayan's epic lit the screen like anything. I'm not going to waste time in singing praises of this awesome show, which needs no introduction. The good news is that after almost 20 years when it was aired on Doordarshan in India, it is finally out onDVD!!!!! Remastered using the latest technology, this 2 disc DVD brings this masterpiece of cinema to millions of R.K.Narayan fans and others thirsting for a good story the whole family can watch. Please go to http://66.223.111.68/datacart/products/template_dvd.asp? and search for Malgudi Days!UPDATE: I have seen the whole 2 DVD set. There is only one episode that is in Hindi (2 Goats). Rest all is in English. I think when Doordarshan showed this back in 1986, they showed the dubbed version. The show seems to have been made in English Originally. It was great to see Anant Nag and Swami again!!