''Ek Tha Rusty'' is a Doordarshan show based on the stories of writer

Ruskin Bond Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Anglo-Indian author . His first novel, '' The Room on the Roof'', was published in 1956, and it received the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957. Bond has authored more than 500 short stories, essays, and ...

, broadcast in 1995 (season 1), 2012-2013 (season 2) and 2014-2015 (season 3). Produced and directed by Shubhadarshini Singh, the show starred Zarul- ,

Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (actress), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress), Pakistani actress in Punjabi and Urdu ...

, Pankaj Berry, Raj Zutshi, Ayub Khan,

Vipul Gupta Vipul Gupta is an actor and model. He is best known for playing the lead role of Drone Keshab in StarPlus' '' K. Street Pali Hill'' and as Anand Zorawar Shergill in '' Ek Nanad Ki Khushiyon Ki Chaabi… Meri Bhabhi''. He was seen as Jagat Sin ...

, Bhanu Uday, Suhasini Mulay. For seasons 2 and 3, actors Vipul Gupta and Bhanu Uday played the role of grown up Rusty. Ruskin Bond, the author of Rusty and other short stories for children presented seasons 2 and 3 of the show and appeared in the beginning and end of each episode. The series was semi-autobiographical, as many of the stories adapted were incidents and experiences from Ruskin Bond's life. a

Synopsis

Season 1, aired in 1995, was about a ten-year-old boy Rusty, his life at a boarding school and his friends, family in Dehradun. This season was set in 1930s, when India was under

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

. Season 2 shows the time when Rusty is about 30 years of age and a struggling writer. It is set in 1960s, when Rusty has returned from England, to live in Mulberry Cottage, Mussoorie. Season 2 had Vipul Gupta playing a 30 years old Rusty. It included ten of Bond's stories - ''Love is a sad song, Sensualist, Dead Man's Gift, Last Time I saw Delhi, Hanging at Mango'', ''Who Killed the Rani?, Dead Man's Gift, Binya Passes By, Last Time I Saw Delhi, From Small Beginnings and At Greens Hotel,'' along with his novel ''Maharani.'' It was shot in

Mussoorie Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill s ...

and Dehradun. Season 3 had Bhanu Uday playing a 35 years old Rusty. It included Bond’s stories - ''The Sensualist, Time Stops at Shamli'' and ''Shooting at Mango Top''. The show was shot in

. Bond’s granddaughter (from his adopted family in Mussoorie) Shristi, also acted in the show. Set in 1960s Ek tha Rusty Seasons 2 and 3 are shot in the beautiful woods and snowy hills, where alongside interesting stories, some of beautiful tracks are also featured; including "Hawaon ki dhun and Zindagi keraye ka ghar hai".

References

{{reflist DD National original programming 1995 Indian television series debuts Television shows set in the British Raj Television shows set in Uttarakhand 2015 Indian television series endings Television shows based on Indian novels