Wagle Ki Duniya is an Indian Hindi-language television sitcom that depicts the everyday life of a middle-class family in urban India. The series draws inspiration from the characters created by veteran cartoonist R. K. Laxman, particularly his iconic "Common Man," and follows the experiences of Srinivas Wagle and his household as they navigate the small joys, frustrations, and aspirations of contemporary middle-class living.
| Title | Wagle Ki Duniya |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom, family drama |
| Language | Hindi |
| Original inspiration | Characters by R. K. Laxman |
| Original series | Wagle Ki Duniya (Doordarshan, late 1980s) |
| Revived series | Wagle Ki Duniya – Nayi Peedhi Naye Kissey (Sony SAB, 2021–) |
| Setting | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
The original Wagle Ki Duniya aired on Doordarshan, India's public broadcaster, in the late 1980s. It was based on the writings and cartoons of R. K. Laxman, whose Common Man figure had appeared in The Times of India for decades and represented the ordinary Indian citizen observing the world with humour and quiet exasperation. The show extended this sensibility to a serialised format, depicting Srinivas Wagle as a relatable everyman dealing with bureaucracy, neighbours, family obligations, and small ambitions.
The original series featured Anjan Srivastav in the lead role of Srinivas Wagle, with Bharti Achrekar playing his wife Radhika. It became one of the well-remembered programmes of Doordarshan's pre-cable era, alongside other family-oriented sitcoms of the time.
A revived version, titled Wagle Ki Duniya – Nayi Peedhi Naye Kissey, premiered on Sony SAB in February 2021. Produced by Hats Off Productions, the company founded by JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, the new series continues the Wagle family's story across generations. Anjan Srivastav and Bharti Achrekar reprise their original roles as the elder Wagles, while Sumeet Raghavan plays their grown-up son Rajesh Wagle and Pariva Pranati plays his wife Vandana. The younger generation of the household is portrayed by child actors playing their children.
The revival retains the gentle, observational tone of the original while updating its concerns to contemporary middle-class issues such as housing society dynamics, education, work-life balance, technology, and intergenerational change.
Both versions of the show are notable for centring the middle-class household rather than the affluent or aspirational settings common to many Indian television dramas. Recurring themes include:
The series is often cited as an example of family-friendly Hindi television that maintains a tonal connection to the slice-of-life sensibility of late-1980s Doordarshan programming, while reaching a contemporary audience on a private satellite channel.
The 2021 revival is produced by Hats Off Productions, the same banner responsible for several long-running Hindi sitcoms including Khichdi and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. The series airs on Sony SAB, a channel positioned within the Sony Pictures Networks India portfolio as a destination for light comedy and family programming.