The Worst Episodes of Malgudi Days

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Worst Episode
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   0.0/10(0 votes)

   #1 - Vendor of Sweets - 06

   S1:E146/16/1987

   Jagan is disappointed to discover that Mali has no intention of continuing the family sweet business. As pressure over Mali’s proposed factory grows, Jagan begins reconsidering his relationship with money, work and the business that has defined his life. IMDb

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2. 

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   #2 - Vendor of Sweets - 07

   S1:E156/23/1987

   Mali becomes increasingly resentful of his father’s refusal to support the factory scheme, while tensions also develop between Mali and Grace. Jagan finds himself caught in a family conflict that exposes how little he truly understands his son’s new life. IMDb

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3. 

   0.0/10(0 votes)

   #3 - Vendor of Sweets - 08

   S1:E166/30/1987

   After learning disturbing truths about Mali and Grace’s relationship, Jagan attempts to resolve matters through a traditional marriage. Instead, events force him to confront his failures as a father and reconsider what remains of his attachment to family and worldly life.

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4. 

   6.9/10(21 votes)

   #4 - Vendor of Sweets - 05

   S1:E136/9/1987

   Grace tells Jagan about her background and how she met Mali, while Jagan introduces her to aspects of Indian society and tradition. The uneasy family peace is disrupted when Mali reveals an ambitious plan to manufacture an automated story-writing machine. IMDb

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5. 

   7.0/10(22 votes)

   #5 - The Gold Belt

   S2:E47/28/1987

   Sambasivan believes he has finally arranged the perfect marriage for his daughter, only for the groom’s family to make an additional dowry demand at the last moment. A gold belt suddenly becomes the price of preserving the wedding and the family’s honour. TheTVDB

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6. 

   7.2/10(22 votes)

   #6 - Leela's Friend

   S2:E27/14/1987

   An elderly watchman guarding a lonely tank encounters a young woman intent on ending her life. During the long night he listens to her troubles and offers his own simple perspective, only learning many years later what became of her.

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7. 

   7.3/10(22 votes)

   #7 - Sweets for Angels

   S3:E110/6/1987

   Kali, a poor labourer living near a school, has an enormous affection for children despite keeping his distance from them. When he finally earns enough money to buy sweets for the pupils, his innocent gesture is disastrously misunderstood.

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8. 

   7.5/10(25 votes)

   #8 - Swami and Friends - 05

   S1:E54/14/1987

   Swept up in the excitement of India’s independence movement, Swami joins a political protest and gets into serious trouble at school. His punishment leads to a dramatic break with the Mission School and the beginning of a new chapter in his education. IMDb

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9. 

   7.6/10(20 votes)

   #9 - Trail of the Green Blazer

   S3:E310/20/1987

   Raju is an experienced pickpocket who secretly follows a man wearing a distinctive green blazer and steals his wallet. A small discovery inside awakens Raju’s conscience, but his attempt to undo the theft may prove more dangerous than the crime itself.

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10. 

    7.6/10(21 votes)

    #10 - The Career

    S3:E511/3/1987

    Orphaned Ramu is taken in by a merchant and gradually becomes a trusted member of both the household and the business. Years of loyalty appear to promise him a secure future, until trust and ambition take the relationship in an unexpected direction.

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11. 

    7.7/10(22 votes)

    #11 - Engine Trouble

    S3:E410/27/1987

    The Talkative Man wins a massive road engine in a fairground lottery and initially believes fortune has smiled upon him. He soon discovers that owning an enormous machine is much easier than moving, storing or disposing of one.

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12. 

    7.8/10(26 votes)

    #12 - Swami and Friends - 06

    S1:E64/21/1987

    Swami struggles to adjust to the stricter Board School, where homework and compulsory drill leave little time for fun. His spirits rise when Rajam forms the Malgudi Cricket Club and challenges another local team to a match. IMDb

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13. 

    7.8/10(26 votes)

    #13 - Vendor of Sweets - 01

    S1:E95/12/1987

    Jagan is a successful sweet-shop owner whose simple life is shaped by Gandhian ideals and traditional values. His comfortable world is unsettled when his son Mali announces that he intends to abandon his college education.

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14. 

    7.8/10(18 votes)

    #14 - Vendor of Sweets - 03

    S1:E115/26/1987

    Letters from America reveal how rapidly Mali’s outlook is changing and leave Jagan increasingly uneasy about the distance between them. News of Mali’s personal life and impending return also causes Jagan to reflect on his own youth and marriage. TVGuide.com

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15. 

    7.9/10(19 votes)

    #15 - Vendor of Sweets - 02

    S1:E105/19/1987

    Jagan tries to understand Mali’s ambitions while remembering his late wife and the family life they once shared. He discovers that Mali wants to become a writer and is making plans that may take him far beyond Malgudi. IMDb

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16. 

    7.9/10(23 votes)

    #16 - The Gateman's Gift

    S2:E37/21/1987

    After retiring from years of loyal service, former gateman Govind Singh discovers a talent for making clay models. When he sends one to his former employer and later receives an official-looking letter, his inability to read it fills him with mounting fear.

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17. 

    8.0/10(27 votes)

    #17 - Swami and Friends - 03

    S1:E33/31/1987

    Exam fever grips Swami and his friends, with Mani even trying to obtain hints about the question papers. Once the examinations end, the boys celebrate their freedom with an adventurous trip to the old Malgudi fort. IMDb

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18. 

    8.0/10(28 votes)

    #18 - Swami and Friends - 04

    S1:E44/7/1987

    Swami desperately wants a bicycle wheel to use as a hoop and places his trust in a cartman who promises to help him. When the man cheats him, Swami, Mani and Rajam devise a childish plan to recover what he has lost.

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19. 

    8.0/10(22 votes)

    #19 - Vendor of Sweets - 04

    S1:E126/2/1987

    Mali returns from America accompanied by Grace, whom he introduces as his wife. While Mali remains distant from his father, Jagan develops an affectionate relationship with Grace and begins sharing memories of his earlier life with her.

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20. 

    8.1/10(18 votes)

    #20 - Roman Image

    S3:E210/13/1987

    A celebrated archaeologist arrives in Malgudi determined to prove that ancient Roman influence once reached the region. When an apparently remarkable artefact is discovered, academic excitement and public acclaim build rapidly—until its origins become rather less certain. TheTVDB

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21. 

    8.1/10(22 votes)

    #21 - A Hero

    S4:E112/25/2006

    Swami’s father grows tired of what he considers his son’s cowardice and orders him to sleep alone in the office for a night. Terrified Swami reluctantly obeys, only for an unexpected encounter in the darkness to transform him into a local hero.

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22. 

    8.2/10(33 votes)

    #22 - Swami and Friends - 08

    S1:E85/5/1987

    Lost outside Malgudi, Swami is rescued and eventually reunited with his worried family. But his absence has consequences for the cricket team, and worse news follows when he learns that Rajam will soon be leaving Malgudi.

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23. 

    8.2/10(39 votes)

    #23 - Minister Without Portfolio & Korean Grass

    S2:E119/15/1987

    A government minister with no actual portfolio desperately seeks ways to demonstrate his importance. His increasingly absurd schemes—including importing Korean grass—turn his political irrelevance into a sharp satire of bureaucracy, status and vanity. TheTVDB

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24. 

    8.3/10(24 votes)

    #24 - Swami and Friends - 07

    S1:E74/28/1987

    As the cricket match approaches, Swami’s school drill repeatedly prevents him from attending practice. His increasingly desperate attempts to escape school obligations end in confrontation, rebellion and an unexpected journey away from Malgudi. IMDb

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25. 

    8.4/10(28 votes)

    #25 - The Watchman

    S2:E17/7/1987

    An elderly watchman guarding a lonely tank encounters a young woman intent on ending her life. During the long night he listens to her troubles and offers his own simple perspective, only learning many years later what became of her. TheTVDB

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