நாதஸ்வரம் (Tamil Serial - Nadhaswaram)

Mega serials have been successful enough in keeping our mothers and grandmothers glued to the television whole day and night these days. There are 10s of channels each showing 10s of serials everyday and you can imagine how much we are spoilt for choice even just for watching serials. Serials in general tend to be repeatative and stereotyped and the heroines seem to dominate the scene all the time with gallons of glycerine dumped into their eyes. There are few youngsters who really watch these serials because they have become so mundane and boring that everything is predictable and the dialogues generally are artifical and hyped. Screenplay sucks in most and some don't even have a good story line... If there is any one serial that is really really worth watching and fills your heart with warmth and happiness, it can only be NADHASWARAM, directed by our famous "Metti Oli" THIRUMURUGAN!!!

 Thirumurugan has carved a niche for himself in directing very family-oriented serials that reflect the sentiments, culture, livelihood and happenings of a typical middle class family in Tamil Nadu. His direction, story and screenplay have something special in them that can keep a youth like me glued to his serial! His style and portrayal of characters is so natural that these characters become members of your very own family. Something that deserves special mention is his choice of unknown faces for most of the characters, most of whom are debutants to the media screen. This plays a major role in making these characters part of your home and my home because they are so easy for you to associate with and relate to as they very much resemble your neighbor next door... He has a class in portraying the typical surroundings and living conditions in a small town and in a small home that most of us live in, unlike other mundane directors who shoot their dramas in big big bungalows of cine actors in the posh areas of Chennai.

The highlight of this serial is that it is not centred on any one person and it is not a feminine dominated storyline as well. The serial revolves around a middle class family and it reflects the beautiful sentiments of two brothers whose children are all treated as one by both of them. In other words, nephews and niece are treated as their own children - this beautiful sentiment is brought across by Thirumurugan. The screenplay is so fantastic that even for the sad scenes, there are some comical characters on screen that lighten your heart without making you feel too emotional...

On the whole, 3 CHEERS & HATS OFF to Thirumurgan and his Nadhaswaram Team!!! :)