Aaaand shes back guys, huuuuuugeeee thanks to Bhama Shivasubramaniam :) I wrote this for the 300th episode. 300: To Infinity and Beyond. The number 300 is the “in” thing right now. Simply because it is the name of a Hollywood film that has hit silver screens all over the world. The number 300 however carries a significance of a different kind to all of us here in India Forums....indeed to many Tamil-speaking people regardless of whether they are – in India, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, United States, Australia – in fact anywhere that has a Tamil population and satellite facilities. 300 to us means the 300th episode of the now established and continuing in popularity that is Vani Rani. I am hesitant to call Vani Rani a serial. “Serial” has become to exemplify shows with silly, puerile stories with diabolical plots that are manipulated to exploit the weaknesses and gullibility of its audience, particularly women – housewives and professionals alike. Vani Rani is a cut above that. Sure, it has its weaknesses too but overall, it is an intelligent show. In many aspects. The first episode was broadcasted on the 21st of January 2013. Starring R. Radhikaa Sarathkumar, a very talented and established actress, it was about identical twins and the trials and tribulations that they, and their family members, face. The initial reception was lukewarm at best, and indifferent at worst. Radhikaa had a chequered history where serials were concerned. The brilliance of Chitty was never matched by her subsequent serials. Audience were restless and unhappy – incomplete plots, stories with potential that were not exploited, portrayal of holier-than-thou, all-knowing, all solving leads only caused frustration and dare I say it, dislike? Annamalai, Selvi, Arasi, Chellameh were all guilty of one or another or all of the “sins” mentioned above. It was felt that the spotlight was only on one person, the titular character. The other characters were pushed into the background and the roles were limited to playing violins to Radhikaa’s solo number. Vani Rani dispelled this. In fact I would argue that it has already surpassed the legend that is Chitty. Ably helmed by young and talented director O.N Rathnam, the serial has today become a household name – and for the right reasons. The supporting cast have had their own storylines. But the serial here rightly belongs to the protagonist – Madam Radhikaa. Whether it was the naive, gullible and extremely charming Rani or whether it is Rani Swaminathan’s Smarter Sister (pinched shamelessly from Gene Wilder’s Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother), the indomitable lioness and lawyer, Vani Bhoominathan, Madam Radhikaa captivated the hearts of the people through her varying and impressive acting skills, portraying two very different characters with aplomb. Soon word began to spread. Unbelievers like me were hooked and I can safely say intense discussions on the plots, dialogues, and characters have taken place not just in cyberspace but at dinner tables, in restaurants, over the telephones, in the social media. Such was its impact. It sounds surreal but that is what was happening in reality. It is not just Radhikaa too. I remember Venu Arvind from Selvi and I must admit that I was not too impressed at that point. But in Vani Rani he shone. He was able to match Radhikaa frame for frame, delivery for delivery. The storyline which focussed on him when Vani was hospitalised was perfect platform for him to show his acting skills and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and did he revel in it. I remember remarking that his portrayal of a guilt-ridden, remorseful and anxious Bhoomi reminded me of Anthony Hopkins in Shadowlands. How without a word, he was able to portray his feelings through silence, letting his facial expressions do the talking. You could feel his loneliness, his isolation as his nearest and dearest ignored him and shunned him. Then there was Prithivee Raj aka Babloo. We were so used to seeing him in rough and tough roles, as a baddie we all love to loath (Ganga, anyone?) that to see him in Vani Rani as a soft, gullible wastrel was a bit of a shock. But we understood that this is another feather to add to his cap. An actor’s dream is to be versatile – to do all kind of roles that demand the exercise of different emotions, different portrayals, roles as wide and as varied as you can get. No one can be another Nadigar Thilagam but one can try. And try Prithivee Raj did, with admirable results. From a weeping clinging spineless doormat to a stronger, determined (albeit mean) aspiring business magnate, Prithivee has portrayed his character with talent and composure. I still remember how his eyes would widen and fill with unshed tears. I don’t know how he did it but we all felt crying too. Then you had the strong supporting younger cast. Arun Kumar Rajan and Maha Lakshmi come to mind. It was a change for Arun also, from the one-dimensional materialistic womaniser in Azhagi to the nerdy, innocent and complex character that is Surya...but the young man stepped up and was able to win our hearts over. It would have been easy for us to dismiss him as an insignificant Ambi clone , but he showed he was not insignificant from the nuances of his acting. Everything he did was in character, from the way he talked, to the way he dressed and the way he walked – what a walk, yaar!! Donald Duck would have been proud. The intonations in his voice, the look of perpetual uncertainty and confusion, the self-righteousness that pops up whenever he is displeased about something were well portrayed that we were alternatively irritated or amused. These were the very reactions that Arun was aiming for. Of all the serials that I have seen Maha Lakshmi in, this is the one that I find most memorable. A strong, feisty character, full of vim and verve. The love triangle was Maha’s story and own it she did. The delivery of dialogues, the facial expressions, alternating between contempt, anger, sadness, pathos, delight, happiness (although short-lived), the way she stood up, on par with the female Colossus that is Radhikaa were astonishing and thrilling in equal parts. Finally, she is able to break the mould that was unintentionally created for her in her previous work, and like Arun, admirably showed her talents. Today Vani Rani also means Poongodi. Last but not least, Sangeetha Balan as the crass and crude but with a heart of gold mother in law. I first saw her in My Dear Bhootham but the roles she did after that was all negative roles. It was pleasant to see a MIL who is not cruel or avaricious or malicious for once. On more than one occasion, we found ourselves rooting for her. I must say that I have never done that for any other Tamil serial. All the actors have done a great job and were memorable in their own way. Bhaboos Baburaj as Kali did the role justice. We disliked Kali intensely but we still felt bad for him as he stood over his niece’s dead body, tears rolling down his eyes, beaten, down, different from his usual shouting, bullying arrogant persona. Sri Devi, from the quiet and forgettable Rama in Thangam, became an unlikely villainess and managed to irk us. Manaas, Vicky, Raj Kumar have played their roles so well that when you see them in other serials, it does not make sense. You ask what is Saravanan doing here or why is Gautham so lovey-dovey or Karthik is mean? Even Joker Thulasi as Point is a wonderful addition, providing the support as and when he is asked. Guhan Shanmugam, hitherto unknown but now familiar to Sun TV viewers. Nikhila Rao showed that she was more than just a pretty face. The youngest of all, Little Neha (she is not a baby) has also shown that she is no shirker where acting talent is concerned. Of course all this was put together in a cohesive and entertaining manner by the Vani Rani crew. ON Rathnam is an intelligent director. If you look carefully, you would see that there are so many layers and complexities that the director has implanted. Sometimes you may wonder why a certain plot is introduced or a certain dialogue is said and it makes perfect sense a few episodes later that you would say “Now, why did I not think of that?” Together with co-director RC Raamcamroon and Radaan bigwig Suku Kochappan and youngsters such as Ramesh Lal, Sathya Balan and Gowtham Prabhakaran, the VR crew is a formidable team. A big plus point about Vani Rani is the dialogues. Pa Raghavan is an extremely talented and intelligent writer and this is clearly showcased through his works. I love words. I love reading them, writing them, playing around with them and to me Mr. Raghavan is a master.. So many lines spoken by the actors have found resonance with me that I have actually written them down and used them to assist me in the way I conduct myself. My favourite line has to be one uttered by Bhoomi “Anger is not even worth 10 paise. You should take it and throw it in the bin”. Or something alongst those lines. But the words were pithy, the message was thought-provoking. I have to mention about the music. The title song is not memorable unfortunately,. The singer was Shakthisree Gopalan, who bowled me over with her absolutely riveting, melting amazing Nenjukulle from Kadal. Imagine my sheer disappointment when I heard Vani Rani’s theme song. I was told that she wasnt well when she recorded that song. A real pity. However, it is very rare for background music to surpass the theme song in the memorable department, but it did in this case. The happy sounds. The sad sounds. The arousing sounds. It is no exaggeration to say that viewer can emphatise with the feelings that the BGM is meant to express and enhance the emotions of that particular scene. And which Vani Rani fan, regardless whether you are a hardcore fan or an indifferent one (how could anyone be indifferent) would forget the Enna Thavam Senjen Amma song when the sisters separated? I dare you to tell me that you did not cry. I was bawling like a baby. I started off with a core issue in the serial – the actors – and I will end with another core issue – the plots. Like other serials Vani Rani has had its fair share of negative plots which had attracted criticisms – most vocal being myself. I have conveyed my disappointment to the team. Domestic violence, two wives syndrome, suicide plots/attempts are disgraceful to say the least. These are the common threads through Tamil serials that derive viewers like me around the bend and I have abandoned other serials because of this – a certain Mr. Kumaran is famous for this in all his serials, no matter how promising his serials start off as. People at Radaan do listen, but I want them to more than listen, I want them to address the issues. Sometimes they do make sense, for example Shenbagam’s suicide led to the marvellous court room scene with Vani. But I believe that Vani Rani is strong enough to go on without this kind of plots. Or like I tell them – have these plots but show a positive message. We all know that bigamy, suicide and domestic violence are rife in South India – so why don’t you show these and tell people that that is not the way? But other than that, the stories are enjoyable and what makes Vani Rani stand out is the humour, mostly delivered by Rani and Surya. In fact, this was what made me enamoured with Vani Rani. Rani’s antics in the principal’s office, with the policeman, with the fake talisman selling charlatan outside the temple were rib-tickling hilarious. It was refreshing. Sadly, these moments are getting few and far less in between. Nevertheless, the stories are riveting. The separation of the sisters, the Bhoomi-Swamy saga, Bhoomi’s remorse, Devi’s shenanigans that were finally discovered, Kali-Shenbagam-Selvi, even the pei story somehow managed to keep it on a different track from the others. And the story that broke people’s hearts (and received some weak cheers) – the Saravanan – Poongodi-Karthik love triangle. Will she or won’t she? Well, she did. The cries of dismay and disappointment could be heard far and wide. Such was the effect of that story that people declared they are quitting watching Vani Rani. Madam Radhikaa’s Facebook and Twitter were bombarded with messages protesting the way the story went. To say she was amazed is an understatement. So now we are at 300th. Congratulations Madam Radhikaa and the cast and crew of Vani Rani. As Buzz Lightyear would say ”To Infinity and Beyond”.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 07:02:57 +0000
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