Gruntovčani

Gruntovčani () is a Yugoslav drama series that originally aired on JRT (RTV Zagreb) between September 21 and November 23, 1975. The story of this TV-series, directed by Krešo Golik and written by Mladen Kerstner, is mainly set in a fictional remote village of Gruntovec, located in Podravina (a cultural region of Croatia), and revolves around a peasant Andrija "Draš" Katalenić nicknamed Dudek (played by Martin Sagner) who lives with his wife Regica (played by Smiljka Bencet) and whose troubles ensue from his honest and naive nature, since his fellow villagers take advantage of him to the greatest extent.

== Synopsis == The microcosm of the rural environment of Podravina was filmed by Krešo Golik according to Kerstner's script. Mladen Kerstner invested several years of his life in this scenario, visiting various local village pubs and taking notes of adventures by various “characters” which form the backbone of social life in small Pannonian villages. Gruntovčani introduces viewers to the world of the Podravina village, where stratification conditioned by socio-economic circumstances leads to numerous existential problems of its inhabitants. Credible characters and situations, in which the author Mladen Kerstner delves into the soul of a typical Podravina man, line up with a mild humor, which often conceals bitterness. Ten episodes show ten stories centered on the character of Dudek with his worries stemming from his habitus of a naive, honest, little country man. Dudek has no permanent employment. Here and there he helps the villagers, but always draws a shorter end.