M any directors and producers doing well on the small screen usually have big-screen aspirations and there are several well-known names today in Mollywood who took their first steps into tinsel town via television. Pradeep Vallikkavu, director of ‘Njangal Santhushtaraanu’ on Asianet, is one of those waiting in the wings to try his luck in Malayalam cinema.
In the meantime, he is proving his versatility on television with serials, sit-coms and series on different channels. ‘Njangal Santhushtaraanu’, a delightful sit-com that revolves around the happenings in a family, has had a long run of more than 200-plus episodes on Asianet Plus. Recently the comedy was shifted to Asianet. The director of serials such as ‘Soorya Kaladi’ (Amrita) and ‘Butterflies’ (Surya TV) talks about the sit-com that is doing well in spite of doing away with the vamps and the teary heroines that rule prime time.
I am happy…
That the serial has been shifted to Asianet which has got a world-wide following. As soon as we developed the concept of a sit-com that is based on a family, we decided that the humour would be subtle and not loud or crass. Instead of loud guffaws, what we wanted were smiles and a feel-good sentiment that would have the viewers removing their finger from the remote during the 23 minutes of each episode. Since each episode is complete in itself, viewers can watch the show without any apprehensions of losing the thread of the story if they are unable to watch one episode.
The plot of the serial
A retired colonel and his wife, Kausalya Devi, and their two sons are the main characters. They rent the first floor of their house ‘Ayodhya’ to a family. This typical middle class family in Kerala reflect current societal comings and goings, whether it be the garbage issue, the employment scenario or the relationship between the tenant and the family members.
Watch what happens when one of the sons marries without his mother’s knowledge and decides to pass her off their tenant’s sister. In the meantime, the mother is still bride hunting for her son.
Playing happy family
The two most popular programmes on Malayalam television are soaps and comedies. As a result there are several comedians and comediennes who are present in almost every Malayalam channel in one programme or the other. I wanted to avoid the usual suspects and approached capable actors whose ability to do comedy has not been tapped.
For instance, when I cast veteran actor Urmila Unni as Kausalya Devi she herself was doubtful if she would be able to pull it off.
I assured her that all would be well and look what a good job she is doing. It is the same with the actors who play the colonel (Payyans), Ambady (Jeevan Gopal), Giri (Jayakrishnan), Ambili Devi and Divya.
The challenge…
We need a story for every episode. It has to be catchy, funny and have a tale that can the viewers can relate to. Biju Kumbalam, the scenarist, and I sit together to decide on a plot and he does the scripting. It is not easy because the programme is on for five days a week, which means we need five stories in a week. Thanks to our producer V.C. Ismail, we have been able to shape the sit-com the way we wanted to. Shot in Thiruvananthapuram, one of the best USP of this show is that there is no need for glycerine on the sets.
What next?
Right now, I am busy with this programme. But cinema is my destination and I am waiting for an opportunity to turn director.
(‘Njangal Santhushtaraanu’ is telecast on Asianet on weekdays at 10.30 p.m.)
