All in the family
SAJINI V. SAHADEVAN
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`Sanmanasullavarkku Samadhaanam,' a sitcom on Asianet, has completed 250 episodes and is still going strong.
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PUNCH LINES: `Sanmanasullavarkku Samadhaanam' has managed to strike a chord with viewers.
The cast and crew of the Malayalam sitcom `Sanmanasullavarkku Samadhaanam' have enough reason to celebrate. The mega serial has completed a 250 episodes, making it one of the most popular shows on Asianet.
Asked the reason for the success of the serial, director K.V. Sasikumar says it probably is the unpredictability of the characters. "We have a lot of new faces in the serial. If we were to have familiar artistes don the roles, the viewers would've known what to expect.
Different story
"Each episode tells a different story and so perhaps the viewers are finding it more enjoyable," he says.
Of the entire cast, it probably is the character of Kuraikose that is best loved by viewers. A flirtatious old man, Kuriakose does not have to try too hard to find trouble. What's more, Kuriakose is enacted by a man less than half his age, Manikantan.
"I had my doubts if I could do justice to the character. I feel it God's grace that people have accepted me in that role. I was only used to doing mimicry but I guess that has helped me. The support of co-artistes such as Suraj Venjaramoodu cannot be underestimated. I get plenty of suggestions from them to adapt the gestures that would suit a 70-year-old," says Manikantan.
Adds Sasikumar, "Most serials focus on the rivalry between a mother-in-law and a daughter- in-law and so we thought of having a troublesome father-in-law for a change. Bringing a senior artiste to play the character would've made it physically demanding on the actor. We decided on a young actor like Manikantan for this is no ordinary old man."
Maya Moushmi plays Susamma, the loud and embarassing daughter-in-law in the serial.
"And to think I am nothing close to what Susamma is in real life," she says with a grin and adds, "I've portrayed many characters that required subtlety. But I am enjoying doing comedy. It is tiring, but it is also a lot of fun on the sets. If my character is at loggerheads with the other women in the serial, we are great friends off screen. By the way, I have a very nice mother in-law in real life," she adds.
The name of the serial is bound to remind people of the old Mohanlal-starrer with the same title. "It was suggested by Sreekantan Nair after I told him of our choices. We wanted a name that would convey the discord within Kuriakose's family," explains Sasikumar.
Looks like the serial will have people in splits as Kuriakose goes about his antics with his family tagging along to add to the commotion.
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