** Vani Rani 500th Episode Celebrations - 13th Nov 2014**

Time flies when you are having fun, they say. 😃 Time has indeed flown when the first episode hit our screens. When we first heard the " Oru Paravai " and were introduced to the two protagonists - Vani and Rani, the identical twins connected by a bond so deep that it cannot be understood by the rest of us. Vani, bold, glamorous, oozing with understated confidence and quiet intelligence. Her devious husband Bhoomi, whose God was Money and whose patron "saint" was his equally devious and avaricious mother. Their elder son, Surya - shy, insecure, unassuming but with a heart of gold, loyal to the core, hero worships his parents, adores his uncles and aunts and simply loves his sibling and cousins. Then Gautham - the second son - embodies everything an eldest son should be. A small nuclear family. Naam Iruvar Nammaku Iruvar - but hold on. Is it? 😉

Rani - the identical sister of our legal Lioness, Vani. Identical in looks but totally different personalities. Whilst Vani appears aloof, Rani, with her face-splitting beaming smile, gladdens the heart of all and sundry who meet her (there are a couple of exceptions but there are really not worth my time and effort at this point). Whilst Vani is economical with words, Rani blabbers like a motormouth. Although their personalities are as different as chalk and cheese, both of them have certain things in common - loyalty, generosity of spirit, kindness, dependability, support. In Rani's case, the loyalty to her sister is ingrained deeply in her. That was the prime characteristic identifiable in Rani - her unquestioning and unwavering loyalty and belief in her sister. ⭐️ Her husband is the wastrel Swamy who would be seen hanging out with the tea stall and torturing all and sundry with his twisted logic and nonsensical talk. But he too was loyal and faithful and has a kind and loving heart. Their eldest son Saravanan, hardworking ,studious and respectful of his parents. Selvi, their pretty daughter, fashion-conscious and fun loving Finally Thenu - the youngest. Spoilt and smart.😆

That was Vani's Mansion.

Cue 500 episodes later and what a change from the first episode. Not a gradual change but a change that is both shocking and unacceptable.😡 It seems that the characters that were moulded in a particular way have been remoulded to such an extent that they are no longer recognizable by the very traits that had moulded them in the first place. Vani's confidence has become arrogance. 😕 Her intelligence has given her a superior complex - I know everything and I know what to do. Well, lawyer Madam, you don't know everything and not all the things you did were successful. Why are you always cooped up in your room and come out to the balcony like the Queen of England? 😛 The love seems to be selfish - it is only given and distributed whenever she feels like it. It is not unconditional - and you have destroyed the belief that a mother would always love her child no matter what. But this change can be excused - we can more or less expect it bearing in mind her character and her career. (It is not easy being a woman in a highly competitive and backbiting profession that is male dominated such as the legal profession. A woman must forget her femininity. She must be aggressive and confident - she must be more of a man than a man. Only then she can survive in the shark-infested waters. The fact that Vani not only survived but excelled is an indication of her strength of her character - the indomitability and the ability to play on equal terms with the opposite sex - and win!)

But the inexcusable character assassination is that of Rani, Surya and to a slight extent, Swamy.   

I want to deal with Swamy first. From the initial wastrel who was shown at the tea stall, Swamy went through a rollercoaster of character changes - hardworking, loyal, patient, unassuming, then angry, ungrateful, vicious and cruel. Finally he became the Swamy we loved -kind, faithful, steady as a rock, dependable, a hero whose shoulders you can lean on. And whatever you may say of Swamy, no one could accuse him of being uncouth and uncultured with a mouth like a gutter. Even his most irritating dialogues never shocked us. Until he opened his mouth and uttered those crass dialogues against his wife. It was such a shock - we viewers felt we were hit by sledgehammer. We could not accept the cheap disgusting words and worse we could not accept that this was coming from a serial that we loved for being a cut above the rest - intelligent, classy, having the ability to make the viewers think, empathize, laugh, cry. Suddenly it became just like the trashy ordinary serial that we loathed. Suddenly classy Swamy became a crassy Swamy. 

Our woes did not end there, The second shock was the character assassination of Rani. 😡  🤢This we found difficult to swallow. In one episode, the character that we knew and loved for 480 episodes was totally destroyed. Whatever opinions we had of her was destroyed asunder. This is the woman who fought with her husband tooth and nail for criticising her sister and blaming her for everything. This is the Rani who had so much faith in her sister in her ability to bring her daughter and son-in-law out of the trumped up murder charges. And there she was blabbing on like a fishwife, saying things that were not just unforgiveable but shocking. 🤢It made her whole life, the things she said, the love she had for her sister - a lie. And the subsequent episodes were relentless in continuing with the destruction. 😭 Her cruelty in ignoring poor newly-married Surya begging her to stay, her refusal to deal with Gautham, her desire to sell the hotel everyone fought so hard for - she even was hospitalized - and return the money to her sister nt - are at best, unfathomable and at worst, unacceptable.

My final brickbat is for Surya. No, VR team, this is totally unforgivable. 😡😡😡 You have destroyed a brilliant lovable ICON of Vani Rani. You have made him a spineless, weak, ungrateful and selfish freak. Surya was never that. He was a dork, but he was a loveable, faithful, trustworthy dork. He was more loyal to his Chitty and Chitappa than his parents. He was the one who hugged his uncle and said " We love you Chitappa". He was the one who cried and walked off when Rani refused Bhoomi's invitation to move in back to Vani's house. And yet here he is, becoming a selfish ungrateful idiot who we are beginning to dislike, who makes us moan in dismay every time he appears on the screen. Even if there was a change to his character, why was he made into a dishonest and deceitful one? When his wife and grandmother and the outlaws were spewing vitriolic lies against Rani, Swamy and Saravanan, why did he keep quiet? The old Surya wouldn't have done so. Didn't he blurt out to his parents about Gautham and Pooja because he felt Gautham was lying? Kadasi le neenga kooda Surya ve oru weak manushan who listens to his wife nu kamichittinga. He is no different from Kumar in Deivamagal.

Well, those are my brickbats. There are more issues to deal with but now I am going to focus on positives. 👏👏👏

Thank you for bringing a different and intelligent serial to our screens. Having had our senses assaulted by mindless and endless hours of cheap, disgusting serials with cheap, trashy dialogues, it was refreshing to get a serial that appealed to our minds as well as our hearts. We began to look forward to half an hour of entertainment. Audience participation was amazing. Through social media such as Facebook and Twitter, forums such as www.india-forums.com, WhatsApp, youtube, viewers were discussing everything about the serial. The relevant and the irrelevant. The stories, the characters, the dialogues...even the clothes and make up. Friendships were formed, with viewers now greeting others as friends and not just fellow Vani Ranians. Vani Rani Facebook page is so active and vibrant. 👏

Thank you to and for ON Rathnam. For elevating the serial over and above the low threshold of expectations. For making it EXTRAordinary and special. For intelligent directing. For winning the love and respect of cast members and viewers. For being able to bring out the best in the artistes, whether they were seniors or juniors. ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ Vani Rani is not the same without you but I have every faith in RC in continuing the good work that you have done.
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Thank you for providing us with much welcomed and refreshing humour. Something that is lacking in other serials. My favourite until today is the segment where Rani goes to Gautham's school as Vani. 😆There are other priceless moments - her confrontation with the policeman, her bargaining with the amulet seller outside the temple, her attempt to make Surya brave (that was one of the more touching moments of VR - when Surya runs to his Chitappa and Chitty because of a ghost). Ribtickling funny. In fact, it was the scene at the principal's office that got me hooked to VR. I miss the humour. 😭

Thank you for some amazing stories. The sisters' separation and subsequent suffering has to stand out as the most soul consuming storyline. Swamy's madness. Kali and Shenbagam -- who could forget them? Surya's metamorphosis from an ugly duckling to a hunky va-va-voom swan. I have never seen a hunky swan before but this is purely for illustrative purposes only) And who could forget the Karthik-Poongodi-Saravanan love triangle? The most controversial, the most talked about story in the whole Serialdom.

Thank you for the wonderful dialogues - thought-provoking, teasing, intelligent, emotional lines and lines and lines which made us laugh, made us sit up and think, made us cry. Little gems that crop up unexpectedly. Reams of words that make us listen intently. Succinct words that sum up the scenes, the feelings, the thoughts beautifully, Poetic, philosophical and priceless.

Thank you for that fabulous background music, the theme song, the other songs that are unique just to Vani Rani alone. The unforgettable "Enna Thavam Senjen Amma" that had us weeping copiously, men and women, and which is irretrievably tied up with the scene of Rani, Swamy and the children walking out of the house, with Bhoomi grinning and sprawling on his bed happily. The amazing song I call "Poongodi's Theme" - I can still hear the beat in my head, as the music turns from soft to a fast thumping tempo...and the sad intense Calcutta Theme

Thank you for the wonderful support team. Suku Kochappan sir, tireless in pursuit of ensuring that production runs smoothly, juggling schedules and personalities, overcoming all odds to ensure that episodes are ready to go to the silver screen. Ramesh Lal, brilliant, hardworking young editor who also works tirelessly and who deserves the award 110%. Ravikumar, Sai Suresh for their work uploading videos on youtube so that hundreds of thousands of people outside of India can get to watch the episodes that those in India were lucky to watch.

Thank you Venky sir for stepping in when needed and also showing your direction skills. Thank you RC sir for coming back and trying to repair the damage that has been done. You have a hard task in front of you but you listen. And that is the most important thing that we viewers appreciate.

And above all this, thank you for some of the brilliant acting we have ever seen. Not just on the small screen, but I dare to say, even on the silver screen. The highest accolade of course is reserved for Madam Radhikaa. That lady, the doyenne of acting world, has shown us depths to her talent that we never knew. She could make us cry with a quiver of her lip, a glistening in her eye. She could make us laugh with her facial expressions. She could make us cheer with her steely glance, her stately walk. Such were her incredible skills that we forgot she was doing both characters. Many a time we would look at one sister and wonder where the other sister was, completely forgetting that it was the same person. There are no words in the English language to describe her aptly. I said it before and I will say it again. There is no one in the whole of India who can hold a candle to her. Closest is Shabana Azmi,, but I have never seen her doing comedic roles. Radhikaa has shown her versatility and I dare anyone to say she does not deserve any award. If you ask me, she should just focus on Vani Rani, because it is such a huge empty canvas to do her magic art on.

Then there is Venu Arvind. I marvel at his blossoming into a star that is a force to reckon with. I love Bhoomi and a lot of young people call him Bhoomi pa. Those solitary scenes in the hospital, the bonding with his sons, the way he handled Karuppu, his skirmish with Devi. VR gave him the chance to show his talents through a spectrum of emotions - the arrogant Bhoomi, the malicious Bhoomi, the cruel and conniving Bhooomi. Then a life changing event took place. The wife who he secretly adored but never admitted was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. Came then the Bhoomi wracked by guilt and regret. The emotions on his face reflecting the guilt that was gnawing his insides. And now we have the Bhoomi, the lovable but flawed Bhoomi. The quiet, mature one, no longer strutting around in arrogance but emanating a strong, reassuring presence, a perfect foil to his slightly volatile wife. Vani Rani is a huge feather in Venu's cap. Another icon in VR.

Prithivee Raj. Babloo. Now known as Swamy. We have seen aspects of Babloo but in Vani Rani, he shone. I remember laughing when he said to the tea stall owner that he has the same raasi as Genghiz Khan. So Babloo can do comedic roles too! And what range of acting talents he showed. We all looked him and said to ourselves "How nice if we had a Chitappa like him". Again, he could make us cry or gasp angrily with just his eyes and his lips. The tone in which he spoke - calm but with a wealth of meaning - is a characteristic I have always associated him with. Soft spoken but deadly. Here, soft spoken but meaningfully. Amazing actor. Amazing talent.

Of all the young stars, two people stand out. Mahalakshmi as the feisty,, cheeky, confused, full of angst and now cheerful cheeky Poongodi. Vani Rani is the perfect vehicle for you, my dear. It gave you the chance to show the whole world what you can do and what you are capable of. Understated and yet effective acting. The kind of acting I like. No exaggerated moves or facial expressions. Another Radhikaa in the making? You have the potential. Stick with her and learn from her.

Arun Kumar Rajan. My God, what a difference from, that awful obnoxious Somu from the equally awful obnoxious Azhagi. It was totally unbelievable that the oily smirking ladies man Somu could become the geeky, nerdy, goofy Surya, with his shirt buttoned up and his hair combed in an unflattering greasy fashion and his handsome face spoilt by that huge ugly glasses. Everything about Surya was vastly opposite from Somu. His trademark vaatu walk, his stammering and his uncertainty, his comical behavior. Well done, Arun. I don't like the character that you have become but again, it is giving you a new opportunity - Surya is not someone we dislike 100%. He is becoming a character that we do not like, but we are hoping against hope that he will revert to the old Surya. We will never hate him and I am sure you will portray his character in such a way that viewers will have some sympathy towards him. He is fast falling from grace but he will be back in our good books. Arun has done a wonderful job with effective delivery and apt facial expressions. Bring back our old Surya please!

Thank you for giving us a wonderful ensemble. Vicky is now beginning to show us what he is capable of. Raj. Maanas, Nikhila. Guhan. Each and every one of them have made their roles unforgettable with their talents. So much so when I see them in other serials, I am asking myself "What is Karthik doing here?" or "Hey, Rajesh, ithu enna get up u?" Then there is Shanti Williams who has to win the award for Villi of the Year, not Sabitha Anand or Jayalakshmi. The newcomers. Navya stands ou. Neelima will shine also, I am sure,, judging by her previous work. (Love her voice). Jai Ram. Andrew Jesudoss. Bhaboos Baburaj - he is no longer on the screen but his presence is still there. Another success of VR. Oooh, and how could I forget Murali Krish? He is now making us smile with his buffoonery.. First we hated him, now we love him, His dialogues, his gestures. It is easy to make people angry or cry. It is not easy making them laugh. Murali has made Arumugam a vital part of VR. Last but not least, the wonderful Sangeetha Balan. What an amazing character Sura is and it is Sangeetha sis who breathes life and soul into that fictitious character.

Did I say last but not least? Ahhh, Thenu kutty, Neha...I did not forget you. 
The youngest character in VR but a memorable character. Mature and lovely acting - whether she is being cheeky or annoying or sad or tortured, Neha has mesmerized us with her acting. She has so much potential even with the talent that she has shown..there is so much to discover and enjoy about her. Another Radhikaa? Why not?

Thank you VR team for a memorable ride, with thrills and spills, with joy and sadness, with laughter and tears. The ship is off course at the moment but I am sure that RC sir will soon veer it back to its original route. Whatever happens, I will be on your ship. Nallatho kettatho, we all will be there with you.

Congratulations on your 500th. ⭐️