From Guddada Bhoota to Preeti Illada Mele: Best Kannada TV shows of all time

Kannada TV has produced some of the finest shows in the history of Indian television. Here's a quick look at some of the best Kannada shows of all time which can surely drive fans nostalgic.

The show depicted the culture of Dakshina Kannada and Tulu speaking community. Guddada Bhootha was one of the first suspense thrillers on Kannada TV, which was quite a hit. The show had Prakash Rai in the lead role and was produced by Girish Kasaravalli.

Kannada filmmaker Nirup Bhandari was inspired by the concept of Guddada Bhootha so much that his latest work has a reflection of it.

A comedy television series which revolved around a retired and eccentric colonel who lives with his wife and a pet named Caesar. Each episode showcased how the colonel tries to woo young girls with his charm but gets caught by his smart wife. It featured Ramesh Bhat and Girija Lokesh in the lead.

This show needs no introduction. Written by RK Narayan, the TV show was based on his stories from the book. Although the show was aired in Hindi, it is worth a mention as it was directed by veteran Kannada actor Shankar Nag. The show featured many famous celebrities from Kannada film industry of those days viz. Master Manjunath, Girish Karnad, Vishnuvardhan, Ananth Nag, Arundhati Nag and Vaishali Kasaravalli, to name a few.

With an ensemble cast of Ananth Nag, Sihi Kahi Chandru, Nagendra Sha, Sudha Belvadi, and others, Garva is regarded as one of the best works of director Prakash Belavadi in Kannada television.

Fondly known as ‘CSP’, T N Seetharam's work which includes shows like Mayamruga, Manvantara, Muktha, and Muktha Muktha reflected the lives of the middle class. Soulful title songs and the iconic court room scenes was an added attraction of Seetharam's series.

Danda Pindagalu is a television series which showcased the struggle of five graduate youths who were subsequently unemployed. The title song of the show 'Danda pindagalu... Ivaru waste bodygalu... Thu, thu!!' is evergreen.

Directed by Vaishali Kasaravalli, Modala Mane portrayed the crisis in an orthodox joint family of Madhwa Brahmins, who lived in the North Karnataka region. The show managed to grab the eyeballs of the viewers for its traditional costumes, the ancient locations in that region and the authentic north Karnataka accent.

It is also said to be the first Kannada mega serial that was directed by a professional woman filmmaker.

The star-studded daily soap was one of the most viewed daily soaps in the early 2000's. The show produced many promising actors like Sundarshri, Jyothi, Shankar Aryan, Grishma Uday and many other TV artists (especially Sushma K Rao).

It was one of the very first woman-centric shows, which focused on how a woman gets the strength to overcome every problem and be a winner in life. The serial was considered unique as every week the show featured adapted themes from famous novels of Karnataka.

Kaadambari had Radhika Pandit, Sindhu Kalyan and Shwetha Chengappa in prominent roles.

A family drama that revolved around three different stories in the same house was definitely one of the most viewed daily soaps at the early 2000's. The show has Vanitha Vasu, who played the prominent role

The story was about four people who have studied in different places. It was often trolled as it was one mega serial which aired for years together.

There was an entire generation that grew up on the humorous banter of Pacho and Pandu. Paapa pandu was all about a poor husband dominated by a strong wife. The show completed about 1041 episode on the small screen.

Silli Lalli created a laugh riot on Kannada small screen during the early 2000's. The story revolves around Vittal Rao, a doctor, and his family's day-to-day lives. Often one or more of the family members encounters trouble and the family works together to solve it.

The show turned out to be an instant hit within a short span of time. With a different and unique story the show appealed to the middle-class and also judges, who sometimes find it difficult to make a decision because of political or other pressures.

Preeti Illada Mele was another star studded show with actors like Ananth Nag, Yash, Achyuth Kumar, Shruthi Naidu and many others a part of the cast.