What Is the Story About?
A city-bred youngster Siddharth reluctantly takes up a government job and works at a remote village in Thirunelveli. He’s amused by the ways of the village, where a middle-aged man Meenakshi Sundaram functions as a sarpanch in place of his wife Meenakshi Devi. Though Siddharth doesn’t hold a high opinion about the village or its residents, he finds his feet over time and becomes a valued insider.
Performances?
If there’s one department that deserves the utmost credit in pulling off Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam seamlessly – it’s the casting. Every actor in the show is cast as per his/her strengths. The decision to rope in real-life husband-wife-daughter Chetan, Devadarshini and Niyathi is a masterstroke and their relationship dynamics are a delight to watch on screen.
After a long time, Chetan is cast in a full-length role that does justice to his potential and Devadarshini is at her eclectic best, weaving magic with her instinctive comic timing. Abishek Kumar, in one of his first projects as a lead, fits the needs of the role perfectly, representing the frustration of an urban youngster stuck in a village.
Anand Sami continues his glorious form in a meaty role, after impressive performances in Thangalaan and Raghu Thatha. Shylaja Chetlur, Paul Raj, Pradeep Ravichandar and others make a mark with their strong acts.
Analysis
While the debate about the relevance of the remake culture in movies and television rages on, TVF, in a bid to expand its horizons across various markets, is on an adaptation spree. The latest addition to this list is Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam, the Tamil remake of the hit Hindi show Panchayat, starring Abishek Kumar, Devadarshini, Chetan and others in the lead.
Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is an extremely loyal, a near scene-to-scene remake of the original, exploring an urban youngster’s ambiguities in adapting to the ways of a sleepy, conservative village. Though he’s frustrated about the oddities of the village, its slow-paced lifestyle, local sentiments, superstitions and the power hierarchy, he gradually becomes one among them.
Purely speaking in terms of its intent and execution, there’s not much one could complain about Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam. The universal theme – of urban-village disconnect, discontentment about a career choice, the grounded understanding of grass-root realities – is bound to work across languages. There’s enough situational humour, and low-stakes drama to keep a viewer glued to the screens.
However, it is slightly disappointing that a show of this nature needs to revere its source material so much, almost denying any attempt to bring in a new spin to the story. The tweaks are minor, at best and the team localises the Hindi dialogues on a basic level, and picks an apt bunch of capable actors who could be the face of the story in Tamil, in the hands of a capable director (Naga).
Some of the local touches are entertaining – where murungakka is used as an excuse to reference Mundhanai Mudichu. Another fabulous sequence, where a couple spars over a newborn’s name serves as a timely opportunity to discuss the influence of film stars over the common man. Devadarshini is a hoot in the final episode, where she preps to recite the national anthem on August 15.
Still, the show is strictly for audiences who’ve not watched Panchayat – the effort is only to take the original story to a Tamil market, but not to build on its premise. When a first-time viewer merely treats it as a piece of fiction, it chugs along smoothly; there are no dramatic highs and lows. Naga preserves the spirit of the story and doesn’t try to do anything fancy.
Despite the flaring tempers and the egos of the key characters, there’s an innocence in the storytelling, where you subconsciously understand wisdom has little to do with education, qualification, status or ethnicity. In times when rooted Tamil films have become all about men donning their veshtis in action sagas and soapy melodramas, Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is definitely a breath of fresh air.
Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is a good, well-made show and there are no two things about it. However, the original material could’ve been improvised liberally to make it more relevant to the socio-political scenario of the region. While the dialogues are catchy, performances are top-notch, the screenwriting is rather lazy. It’s a carbon copy you won’t mind much.
Music and Other Departments?
MS Krsna’s background score and the occasional song blend with the narrative fluidly. Cinematographer Karthik Gopal, in his debut, captures the scenic beauty of the region and the simplicity of ordinary pleasures in the village beautifully. The dialogues are among the strengths of the show. The run-time, at around 4 hours, is ideal – without stretching the elastic too much.
Highlights?
Performances of Chetan, Devadarshini, Abishek Kumar
Good dialogues
Anti-stereotyping of a Tamil village drama
Drawbacks?
The absence of an effort to improvise on the original
Localising of the show limited to dialogues alone
No surprise elements
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Solely for the performances
Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam Series Review by Binged Bureau