A ‘love marriage' is often the last scene in a romantic episodeand we prefer to believe that the couple in question lived‘happily ever after.' If and whencouples who had such ‘love marriages' are sought out later by the media, it's only to rake out the seamier side of the aftermath and thrash out sob stories based on ‘reality.' Renuka Ravi, producer of ‘Manassil Oru Mazhavillu' on Kairali TV, endeavours to finaims at exactly the opposite. She endeavours to tell the stories of couples to find out how they lived ‘happily ever after.' who havesurvived many a hailstorm to keep their promises to each other. ‘Manassil Oru Mazhavillu' first went on air onApril 26,and has recently completed its 50th episode. It is telecast Mondays through Thursdays at 9 p.m. Excerpts from a chat with Renuka…
All about romance The concept
We aim to highlight the positive aspects of romance. These days we get to hear many negative stories about the short span of modern romances. So it's a relief to know that there are people who believe in staying together despite the many problems they might have had to tackle.
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Veteran dubbing artiste Bhagyalekshmi is the anchor. We invite couples who speak candidly about the highs and lows of their lives. We started off with actor Krishna Kumar and his wife, Sindhu. For the 50th episode, we had singer M.G. Sreekumar and his wife, Lekha. Some guests have a lot to share and we let them open their hearts. So they get more than one episode to share their stories. For instance, Sreekumar's and Lekha's story was telecast over three episodes.
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Bhagyalekshmi makes the guests feel comfortable. Her sensitivity adds to her value as an anchor, especially because this kind of a programme needs an emphathetic person. I have marvelled at her ability to adapt and speak in the capacity of a mother, a daughter, a friend, or a sister as and when the situation demands, all without offending the guest.
Golden moments
‘Manassil Oru Mazhavillu' is not a stage for celebrities alone but one for couples from all strata of society. We have had politician Neelalohithadasan Nadar and his wife, Jameela, now a Member of the Legislative Assembly. Visually-challenged couple, Tansi and James, talked about how they met when they were young, and years later recognised each other by each other's voice alone. Then there was Raveendran and Winsy, both of whom are wheelchair bound, whose exceptional experiences kept us all enthralled.
The response
The programme has touched the audience. This makes us happy because it means that in this day and age, there is hope yet for romance.