Swami Ayyappan is an Indian soap opera that debuted on Asianet channel. The show was produced by Merryland Studio and completed four seasons. It is currently airing its fifth season, Malikappuram: Apathbandhavan Ayyappan. It is one of the top-rated series in Indian television. The series was dubbed into Tamil as Swami Ayyapan for Vijay TV and Telugu as Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa for Star Maa.
Lord Vishnu incarnates as an enchantress, Mohini, who steals the Amrita for the devas and gains Lord Shiva's heart.
Production
Producer Karthikeyan spotted Kaushik Babu in a magazine and invited him to the studio. After getting into a costume and makeup, Kaushik strongly resembled a painting of Swami Ayyappan and was signed for the show's leading role. Although Kaushik was a child actor in the Telugu film industry, this was his television debut. Later Devan, Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran, Sukanya, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Rajan P. Dev, and Nandhu were signed for other lead roles, along with other prominent actors from the Malayalam film and television industries.
Seasons
In 2010, Merryland Studio aired Swami Ayyappan Saranam, a continuation of the series that portrayed additional experiences of Swami Ayyappan. Devan and Kaushik Babu reprised their roles, along with Meenakumari and several Malayali artists.
The third season, Sabarimala Shri Dharmashasta, aired on Asianet in 2012 and continued the story of Ayyappa Bhaktha's (Devotees of Ayyappa). This season featured Kaushik Babu's return to the Malayalam television industry, performing with actors K. R. Vijaya, T. S. Raju, Praveena, Maya Vishwanath, Harsha Nair, Indulekha, and Baby Nayana in the other lead roles.
The fourth season, Sabarimala Swami Ayyappan, aired on Asianet in 2019. It was a remake of season one with a different format. This season is noted for the debut of Kaushik Babuas an adult actor in Malayalam television.
