Nizhal Vilaiyattu (2001) - Micro Serial (K Balachandar, S Ramakrishnan, Director Naga, Revathi Sankaran,Gayathri Jayaraman)

Wow!

Today evening I happened to watch a classic micro TV serial "Nizhal Vilaiyattu", presented by Padma Shri K. Balachander, a veteran director, in the year 2001 ( if I am not wrong!).

Serials that were aired during 90's and early 20's were truly soulful and were completely in contrast when compared to mega serials of this time. I always believed that the underlying concept behind making of serials at their initial period is to make the viewers feel relaxed with the mix of an intriguing plot and attractive way of storytelling. No cinematic gimmicks, weary melodrama, over makeups and ear breaking noises were employed by the makers of that time, unlike the days after that. Yet people enjoyed watching them. Maybe. post the entry of biggies like Sun Network, Vijay and others into the telefilm industry made all those organic ways of producing telefilm outdated.  In that sense, I am a big fan of Podhigai (or Doordarshan).

But, when we watch one such poetic series after almost two decades, it's simply awesome!

My mom suggested this one as we discussed our daily stuff. We started watching it on youtube.


Plot:

The story revolves around the life of an elderly couple Mr and Mrs Jayaraman (played by Revathi Shanmugam and Anatharaman) and their first paying guest, young and vibrant Gayathri (played by Gayathri Jayaraman).

The couple decides to let-out the temporarily vacant room of their son's to some guy of his age, as a paying guest. To their surprise, a brave, ultra-modern and outspoken girl comes for an inquiry and finalizes the deal with a bunch of conditions. Hesitantly, at the same time being impressed with her attitude, landowners agree to take her as a tenant. What happens in their life after her arrival into the home forms the rest of the plot.

The story was written by sensible and socially responsible Tamil writer S Ramakrishnan and Directed by 'Marmadesam' fame Naga. Despite a few dramatic sequences, on the whole, the series was captivating, engaging and neatly presented.

Performances: Although I enjoyed the performances of all the main actors, Anatharaman's performance was incredible, really shuttle and well-toned acting as Mr. Jayaraman -a caring husband and an outgoing and understanding landlord.
Revathi Sankaran as Mrs. Jayaraman - an innocent, chatterbox, and perky elderly household lady, she is also easily broken - had given her best to the role. I have seen her most of the times in the cookery shows and now, really stunned by her convincing performance.
Gayathri Jayaraman (  'Manja kaatu myna' fame), as a modern youngster had delivered a decent performance with ease.

Trivia: Samuthrakani in the serial - A humble beginning 
There was a scene in the serial, in which actor/director Samuthrakani plays an extremely insignificant role. It is too weird to see the great artist like Samuthrakani was unidentified in his early days.

My research says that KB had brought the idea of making short and crispy serials to catch the attention of a larger audience. Hope, Nizhal Vilayattu lived up to his expectation.


My Stars: 4/5
Must watch after stressful office hours.
Good choice to spend time with family.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7htalxkCCUY&t=177s or Just Search Nizhal Vilaiyattu in Google.


Yours,
Akil