harshalpatel-16660

The Ramayan serial I remember is from when I was 10 years old. Ramanand Sagar had written and directed the 78-episode series which brought the country to a standstill every Sunday from January 25, 1987, to July 31, 1988 - at 9:30 am. And it was a TV revolution. India Today called it "Ramayan fever" where public transport - trains, buses and inner-city trucks would become empty when the programme was telecast and people would assemble in villages around the sole television set to watch the show. And it actually was a programme the entire family could watch. Everything Satyamev promised to be, till it started talking about paedophilia and fertilisers and asking parents to ask their children to leave the room. he original Ramayan was educational, entertaining and engrossing. Of course at that time, we didn't have 100 other channels vying for our attention. But anyway the new Ramayan has a lot to live up to.

It opened with Vishnu getting his legs pressed by Lakshmi while resting on an immobile Shesha Nag. Brahma with immobile extra arms and Shiva with a fake snake around his neck were introduced next. Prithvi comes to a blue and lugubrious Vishnu to ask him for help from Ravan and his asuras. Vishnu refuses to acknowledge her presence for a while and then opens his brown eyes and demurs to explain that he'll go in human avatar and save the planet. Through it all, Lakshmi keeps pressing his legs with a beatific smile. Dasharat is introduced and each wife is then introduced separately. Kaikeyi - played by Shikha Swaroop - makes a dramatic entrance, while her two co-wives look at her adoringly. Other than Swaroop, there are no familiar faces. And even she while she does look suitably imperious, she simply cannot pass off as the youngest wife because she looks old as the hills.

Now one would think that a quarter century later, Meenakshi Sagar - who is Ramanad Sagar's granddaughter and the director of the series - would introduce slightly better effects for the war scenes. But the war scenes seem to have the same special effects which marked the original. Perhaps that's for nostalgia value. The asuras this time round look quite demon-like however, almost inspired by Tolkien's Melkor.

The series was set around everyday struggles, of nervous sales clerk, Srinivas Wagle, who lived with prudence of a middle class person of the time. In one of its most memorable episodes, Wagle goes out to buy fabric for curtains during Diwali, but ends up buying 10 times the amount of fabric required. Thus the family doesn't only have curtains but also sofa covers, shirts and a saree of the same shiny fabric. Wagle Ki Duniya is a full-on comedy serial which revolves around the daily life story of Srinivas Wagle. Wagle is a clerk who leads a middle-class lifestyle with his wife. There are two seasons of this serial. This was one of the most entertaining series on television. Wagle's character is still remembered even after decades. You can watch it with your family & have fun. This serial was one of the most loved serials of the late 80's. The storyline is very basic yet interesting. As the name suggests, Wagle Ki Duniya entirely deals with the daily routine of Srinivas Wagle. All the characters, especially the role of Wagle & his wife is way entertaining. There are two seasons of this serial. The second season of this serial have all the previous characters except Wagle's wife. Many controversies were raised when Sulbha Arya replaced Bharati Achrekar for the role of Wagle's wife in its second season. One more serial titled RK Laxman Ki Duniya was made in 2011 which was similar to Wagle Ki Duniya. In 2012, the same makers made Detective Wagle with the same male lead, Anjan Srivastava. Although Anjan was old in the TV industry & done numerous theatre shows along with serials, he got real recognition after this serial.

The film is all about the fight for land and Pa Ranjith wastes no time and establishes that clearly with the very first scene. A powerful politician wants to clear a slum in the name of a scheme to make Mumbai a better place, but he has an ulterior motive. We know who the politician (Nana Patekar) is and we know who is not going approve of this plan (Rajinikanth). All these are pretty clear from the teasers. But how and what happens, in the end, is all that we need to know. Coming to director Pa Ranjith, he is known for making films that talk about oppressed people. Kaala is no different and even the making is in typical Pa Ranjith style. It moves at a leisurely pace. And the second half is largely about protests. If you have followed the recent political developments in Tamil Nadu, you will relate to the film more. Having said that, it is better you don't mix up the film with Rajinikanth's recent speech which might turn you off. Kaala is more emotional, it has a relationship based story intertwined with social issues. Pa Ranjith has played to the gallery to make all sections of the audience enjoy the movie. Rajinikanth and Eswari's romance portion is refreshing and suits Rajini's current image. Huma Qureshi's love track looked a little stretched. But one feels that it is done to establish the fact that Kaala would not even mind going against the love of his life. hough sparse in number, the mass elements that we expect in a Rajinikanth film keeps the core fans buzzing. The screenplay is much tighter this time in spite of sentiment scenes taking the centre stage. Kaala is an archetypal Pa Ranjith film with adequate Superstar mass moments. Rajinikanth is back with full vigour and energy, which is a major boost. His evergreen screen presence is exemplary and unmatchable no matter how old he gets. Rajini's costumes and other accessories like coolers and umbrella have become style statements among the younger lot already. Fans who are longing to watch Rajini in a complete mass avatar are will be pleased. There are plenty of slow-motion shots, crowd-pleasing mass scenes and most importantly the style of Superstar has been put to good use with the support of some terrific background score by Santhosh Narayanan. We can sense that Pa Ranjith has worked on things that he was criticized for in Kabali. However, the second half deals with protests and is majorly dialogue-oriented, and it may seem less engaging at some points. There are 4 fight scenes in Kaala, all choreographed well by Dhilip Subbarayan. Rajini sits back and watches his son smashing the baddies in the first two fight scenes and when you expect him to do the same again for the third time, you get to see the action side of Kaala which will be an ultimate treat to Rajini fans. Santhosh Narayanan adds a lot of strength through his BGM score. If you hear the theatre roar for some of the strong scenes, the major part of the credit should go to him. The songs are purely situational, so if you weren't impressed with the album earlier, you might very well fall in love with a few of the tracks after watching the movie. Among the other performers, Nana Patekar is a new addition to the list of powerful, deadly and memorable villains of Rajinikanth films. A well etched out character which gets enhanced with an irreproachable performance. All the supporting actors, from Samuthirakani, Dileepan, Manikandan and others have done their part well. Not just Rajinikanth's role, Kaala has 4 to 5 indelible characters that will stay close to your heart.