Novelty is the need of the hour in the entertainment industry but what it ends up creating are newer variants of successful products. Sasimadhanam, ETV’s new web show, is a mishmash of many romance sagas and doesn’t strive to be original. Filling the void created by the absence of feel-good, pleasant family tales in the digital space, the show, though devoid of depth, makes for a breezy viewing.
As the title suggests, the show revolves around a couple – ‘Sashi’ Rekha and ‘Madhan’. The premise is reasonably solid – a wayward, debt-stricken protagonist sneaks into the house of his lady love when her family is away and has the shock of his life when they cut short their holiday and return the same day. All hell breaks loose as Madhan tries hard to evade the sight of Sashi’s suspicious family.
The early episodes offer an insight into Madhan’s world. The backdrop largely resembles Venkatesh’s family in Malleswari – comprising a grumpy elder brother, a caring, sarcastic sister-in-law and a joyous niece. Madhan has high hopes for his ‘game’ project but loses big money as a gambling addict. A shady gambler is after Madhan to settle his debts while the latter is stuck in Hyderabad.
Sasimadhanam has all the makings of a familiar feature film and smartly tweaks it to tailor the needs of an OTT viewer. There are liberal doses of humour, a pinch of romance, underplayed emotions and an unexpected horror twist. The show picks up momentum as the tale shifts to Hyderabad and Madhan uses every trick in the book to conceal his presence in the house.
The director Winod Gali comes up with several foot-in-mouth situations to keep a viewer glued despite the swings in momentum. While Madhan and Sashi bond secretively in the latter’s house and thwart a marriage proposal, an ex-cop aunty (with night blindness) smells something fishy, the parents sense a ghost and a friendly grandpa stands by the couple against all odds.
Offering an old-world touch to the show is a retro backstory around the grandpa’s first love involving a malfunctioning tape recorder and a cassette. The show draws your attention with a wide variety of characters, among which several remain under-explored – say Rangamma (easily the show’s most colourful character), Madhan’s ex Ramya, Sashi’s father and Madhan’s brother.
Though the situations are replete with comic potential, the show isn’t as funny as it aims to be, either due to the hackneyed writing or the absence of the right actors. The subplots around the fake exorcist, the struggles of Sashi’s father as a lawyer and Madhan’s past (with Ramya) don’t add much value to the story.
The conflicts in Sasimadhanam are alright, pushing Madhan to come of age and find purpose in his life, but the director doesn’t let the drama soar and none of the roadblocks truly test his grit to make it big. Instead of the needlessly bloated subplots to bring lightness to the proceedings, the show would’ve benefited from more situations where the viewer could’ve rooted for Madhan.
The resolution is too lazy and convenient (where Madhan is given three months to prove himself and the debt is cleared rather easily). Though the writing and execution lack finesse, there’s a newcomer-ly innocence (both in the treatment and the performance) that holds the show together.
Pavan Sidhu and Soniya Singh share a warm on-screen camaraderie as the lovestruck couple navigating a tricky situation. Kireeti and Roopa Lakshmi, although in short-lived appearances, ensure a handful of laughs. Pradeep Raparti’s unusual comic timing, Srilalitha Pamidipati’s confident performance in addition to Ashok Chandra’s smart casting as the grandpa are the icings on the cake.
Warm, effective performances by real-life couple Keshav Deepak and Avanti Deepak provide enough authenticity for Madhan’s backstory. Venkatesh Madugula and Hari Prasad do what’s expected of them in brief supporting roles. Sinjith Yerramilli’s lively score (in contrast to Arambham) serves the show right – its easygoing vibe makes his job easier.
After 90s, ETV Win has another simple show with modest aims targeted at the family crowds. While the show tells a familiar tale, borrowing tropes from popular films, the new-age packaging should please its core audience.