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Realistic and refreshing
VISAALAM IS a TV serial of women, about women, and by women - well, almost, because the writer is a man. But it is not exclusively for the archetype "woman" like the usual tear-jerking TV soaps.
Produced under the banner of Krishnaswamy Associates, the serial narrates a family story of five generations uniquely tracing the family tree in the matriarchal line. Dr.Mohana Krishnaswamy, the producer, has taken efforts to create an authentic ambience for every period.
The story, which commences in 1900, traces many nuances of the gradual changes in the status of women, perceived from the perspectives of women of every generation. Visaalam, who is born in 1901, is married at the age of nine and dies during childbirth at 16. The newborn is also named Visaalam. In the meantime, the first Visaalam's father has taken a second wife who is almost the same age as his daughter, because he did not get a male progeny through the first wife. If the tolerance of the two wives with a stoic acceptance of their situation reveals the ethos of the period, their husband is by no means a tyrant, but one who reflects the family mores of the time. The three of them bring up their grand daughter Visaalam. The younger Visaalam is married at 13 and begets six children by the time she is 26 - four boys and twin daughters. Her husband, a journalist of high integrity with his sympathies for freedom fighters, begins to share his affection with another girl, in his effort to liberate her from her traditional profession of a Devadasi. Even as the next generation finds itself on the ascending path of women's empowerment, the male gender has a tight grip on finances and habitual dominance. The eldest son of Visaalam not only cheats her of her property, but also exploits the financial success of his two sisters, who are star singers. He partially succeeds by dominating one of the twins, while the other twin fights back. The daughter of the one who fights back is the third Visaalam, born in the early 1980s, flowering into an accomplished and self-confident professional at the dawn of the 21st Century.
For a change, there are no cantankerous women, and none with the sentiment of revenge, and there are neither villains, nor heroes in Visaalam. All characters are products of their own time.
The original story, screenplay and dialogue are by Dr. S. Krishnaswamy (he has also directed the episodes featuring the other director Gita). His penchant for history is well-known . Telecast every Monday at 7.30 p.m., the serial comes to a conclusion in the next few weeks, having completed 48 of the 52 episodes. If you prefer the print medium, it is soon coming out as a novel.
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