{"id":931,"date":"2019-03-01T09:36:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T04:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/?p=931"},"modified":"2019-03-01T09:36:05","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T04:06:05","slug":"serial-chiller-i-watched-mega-serials-every-day-for-two-months-why-i-plan-to-continue-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/2019\/03\/01\/serial-chiller-i-watched-mega-serials-every-day-for-two-months-why-i-plan-to-continue-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Serial Chiller: I watched mega-serials every day for two months; why I plan to continue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is the edition edition of my monthly column on Tamil television for Firstpost. First published here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if the Bahubali<\/em> franchise was made for, with and by women?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benevolent and just warrior queen Amarendrika would have been the \nhero. She would be so pious and devoted that Lord Shiva himself would \nprotect her and give her leadership advice. Her daughter would be the \nre-incarnation of Lord Shiva and her husband would be good-for-nothing \neye candy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, Palvaaldevi would be the embodiment of pure evil \u2014\n cunning, merciless, power-hungry queen who is as skilled as Amarendrika\n herself. She would have poisoned her own father to reach the throne. \nShe would have a seductress sister and a vile brother taking her orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
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Director Suresh Krissna with Radhika (L) (via SunTV\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
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Krissna with Rajnikanth (via rajinifans)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Well, we don\u2019t even have to imagine this. This exists, today, on TV, for all of us to enjoy. Chandrakumari<\/em> is a historical fiction mega-serial, jointly directed by CJ Bhaskar and our very own very-loved Suresh Krissna, the award-winning director of Sathya<\/em> (1988), Annamalai<\/em> (1992), and Baasha<\/em> (1995) fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The involvement of Suresh Krissna, Sundar C and their like shouldn\u2019t \nbe necessary to give credence to mega-serials; they should be enough on \ntheir own. Yet, mega-serials get too much grief from today\u2019s \nfilm-devouring elite public \u2014 stereotypical, regressive, patriarchal, \nbad production quality, bad actors, terrible makeup, the list is \nendless.
\nBut, feature-length mega-serials like Taramani<\/em> (2017) are often hailed as the feminist intervention Tamil society needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ennama ipdi panringale ma!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So today I present to you, six times when blood came for Tamil cinema, you called it thakkali chutney<\/em> for mega serial!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women, women everywhere, not a chance to whine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year, when Oscar comes around, one other thing comes around without fail: Twitterati being surprised<\/a>\n by the unfairly few speaking roles that women get in cinema! Where were\n you when Vijay kept speaking punch dialogues and Keerthi Suresh stood \nsilently behind him? You can\u2019t even tell if I\u2019m talking about Bairavaa<\/em> (2017) or Sarkar<\/em> (2018), no?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mega-serials, on the other hand, are made for middle-aged women under\n house arrest. It has nothing but speaking women! Remember in Agni Natchatiram<\/em>\n (1988) Nirosha who whispered inanities into the horizon? You will be \nsurprised to see how much she can speak, when given the opportunity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Castles no more in the air, here women shine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
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The world of Maanagaram: A feature film about the lives of newcomers in Tamilnadu\u2019s capital city (L) (via Twitter\/@prabhu_sr)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
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The world of Mangalapuri: A mega-serial about two imaginary kingdoms in conflict (via SunTV\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Castles no more in the air, here women shine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world of mega-serials is a world of women. Everything that \nhappens in a mega-serial \u2014 good, bad, ugly or unbearable, is to and by \nwomen. So, for me, watching mega-serial is setting aside a few minutes \nevery day to dwell in sisterhood. Well, I wouldn\u2019t personally want to \nspend time with all\/most of them \u2014 for their value systems are nearly as\n regressive as their cinematic brethren. But the idea that there is \nspace for them at all is satisfactory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now don\u2019t scream that women are merely acting. It would be na\u00efve to \nthink these shows are created, written or directed by women. But my \npoint is, in the least, these serials are made keeping women in mind. At\n their worst, mega-serials feed into internalised misogyny. At their \nbest, they are catering to the female gaze, long ignored by the \noverlords of cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s still family, and I love them; so, I can only subvert.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few days ago, there was a scene in Lakshmi Stores<\/em> where \nthe teenage daughter of the protagonist was kidnapped. The grandfather \nis a successful businessman, the father is an accomplished lawyer \u2014 he\u2019s\n called \u201cTiger\u201d Devaraj, no less, and there are three adult uncles in \nthe joint family. These men were rather hopeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kidnapped girl herself sent a written message into the world, \nfooling her kidnappers, which landed in the hands of her brother, \nbecause his friend \u2014 the second protagonist \u2014 had intuition and minimal \ndetective skills. Every time there is trouble, often it\u2019s the women who \nland in trouble, another woman shows up to save her. Serial after \nserial, women come to protect, support and uplift other women, family, \nfriends and strangers alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a natural consequence of it being a world of women, they also pull each other down. If all you can see is that women are women\u2019s worst enemies, shall I blame your internalised patriarchy or the TV show?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
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Family drama about the dispute between a father and son (L) (via Wiki)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Family drama about the dispute between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law (via SunTV\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ageism, sexism, and misogyny in your film; off with your head, you pervert!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you guess what the average age of a mega-serial protagonist is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 50. And most of them have \nsons\/daughters of marriageable age. Unlike in Tamil cinema, where every \nstory is a love story about a violent man, most mega-serials are about \nthe emotional lives of middle-aged women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is an incredible bonus that the roles of middle-aged women are played by\u2026 yes, read it out loud\u2026 middle-aged women!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
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#MaduraiKaaranDa (via Twitter\/@tamilcinemanew)

<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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#HouseWifeDa (screengrab from YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

There was a long-running joke that mega-serials are the retirement \nhomes of too-old-to-act-in-movies actresses. Well, if you\u2019re laughing, \nthe joke\u2019s on you! By moving to mega-serials, these women have finally \nfound a place where they are present and important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m good and I\u2019m evil, sometimes both together.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
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Ayyampettai Arivudai Nambi Kaliyaperumaal Chandran\/Indran (L) (via Wiki)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
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‘Aadhikadavur’ Akhilandeshwari
27 Dec 2017 (via Twitter\/ZeeTamil)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Your average mega-serial villi is delightful. Devika Rani of Chandrakumari<\/em> is a warrior-queen. Minister Shakuntala Devi of Lakshmi Stores<\/em> is, well, an extravagant minister. \u2018Aadhikadavur\u2019 Akhilandeshwari of Sembaruthi<\/em>\n is the matriarch who runs the business we\u2019re told. She has a secretary \nwho walks around the house wearing uniform and badge, mind you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then the mini-villis \u2014 they are the best. While the exaggerated \nnature of the art-form makes them appear like a crude caricature, I\u2019d \nventure as far as calling them the post-modern representation of one\u2019s \nevil inner-self: Just like the scantily-clad imaginary heroine of Soodhu Kavvum<\/em> (2013). Anyway, nobody sees the ashtakonal<\/em> faces these villis make, their evil might as well be invisible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, mega-serials do the opposite of stereotyping women as \n\u2018sacrificial goddess\u2019 and the \u2018whoring devil\u2019 \u2014 the complexities of \nwomen in these shows are rather interesting. An evil sister-in-law will \nsoon reveal her desperately vulnerable side when she fears that her \nhusband is disloyal to her. The rebellious daughter will turn a new leaf\n when she realises she can\u2019t take on the world all alone. Sparring \nsisters will come together against a common enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foundational belief of the mega-serial is that when situations \narise, women will rise up to the situation. And rise, they do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police station, court or jail, we\u2019ve got this, brother.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly every cop in the movies says something about women being forbidden in the police station. \u201cPolice station-ku oru ponnu varradhu ok-aa<\/em>?\u201d, (Is it ok for a woman to come to a police station?) asks AC Vetrimaaran in Kuttram 23<\/em>\n (2017). This is a film about women being murdered because they refused \nto give birth to the child of the villain, a child he illegally and \nimmorally impregnated them with. Tamil cinema works very hard to keep \nwomen out of the \u2018system\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mega-serials, on the other hand, are a fictional embodiment of \u201ckaaval thurai ungal nanban<\/em>\u201d. (Police is your friend). For example, the only thing that doesn\u2019t happen in Chandrakumari<\/em> is the eponymous heroine throwing her hands around the Inspector\u2019s shoulder and calling him machan<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a serial heroine hasn\u2019t gone to jail, she hasn\u2019t yet arrived. Even\n after having served a jail sentence for murder herself, Chandra goes to\n the police at the drop of a hat. For financial fraud, daughter falling \nin love and all, Chandra walks up to the adversary in slow motion, \nInspector always firmly by her side. If mega-serials are all you \nwatched, you\u2019d be convinced that you can approach the police!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In more ways than one, mega-serial is exactly the same as Tamil \ncinema \u2014 Patriarchy stinks up more than just films. Everything new and \nimaginative you see in films is there in the mega-serial: supernatural \nfiction, Hindu mythology, love songs, stalking, fight scenes, \nkidnapping, murder, melodrama, moralising and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many more ways, mega-serials are different, even admirable \u2014 they \nare the parallel universe women have sought for years and continue to \nseek. It is their stories and their lives, they have a character whose \njourney they can and want to follow. Come and critique the mega-serial, \nseriously, academically and thoughtfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, chumma<\/em> don\u2019t watch a one-off episode half-heartedly, \nthrough the corner of your eye and dismiss a phenomenon that\u2019s much \nloved and highly successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the edition edition of my monthly column on Tamil television for Firstpost. First published here. What if the Bahubali franchise was made for, with and by women? Benevolent and just warrior queen Amarendrika would have been the hero. She would be so pious and devoted that Lord Shiva himself would protect her and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-column","category-serial-chiller"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tharkuri.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}