அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் // Azhagiya Tamizh Magal (ATM)
Literally translated, அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் means "beautiful Tamil daughter".
When this drama was first aired on Vasantham, it aired plenty of skeptical reactions even among the most devoted Vasantham (drama) fans. The concept, being fairly abstract and hence different from stereotypical dramas, was initially tough for us as audience to grasp. However, after watching the series for the first couple of weeks and grasping the concept of the drama, many of us viewers were left enthralled and hungry for more insight into the life of the 5 "beautiful Tamil daughters" (the 5 main protagonists of this drama).
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் encompasses the lives of 5 young ladies all leading seemingly unrelated lives. Poornima is a mother of two children, one working hard for his A-Levels, and the other working hard for her O'Levels. Gauthami is a media queen who is in the "peak" of her exciting media career. Raevathy is a Tamil journalist who has refused love in the form of marriage due to hurting from a breach of trust which occurred several years ago. Radhika is a rich young woman who is not-so-happily married because she is seemingly unable to let go of her ego when dealing with her housekeeper, and asa result constantly finds fault with her. Amala is a loving housewife, fascinated with cooking and cuisine, who finds herself unappreciated by her husband, who is far more intrigued by poetry, politics and the Tamil language.
5 young ladies leading 5 drastically different lives. I wondered why all 5 of them had to be collectively classified as "beautiful Tamil daughters", when I could not see any similarity connecting the 5 of them together, other than their age range.
But then, the drama charmingly drew all 5 protagonists together in a most unexpected, unforeseen manner: they all ended up volunteering at the same old folks' home. To give credit to those who created this story, this was all done in an amazingly gradual, natural and elegant fashion which actually seemed like a likely scenario which could occur in real life. After all, it is these relatable moments that we drama lovers live for, right?
As the drama drew to a close, it occurred to me that, despite the initial difficulty we all faced with trying to keep up with 5 separate subplots, the struggle and attention was well worth it.
Why so?
In showcasing 5 different young women and their lives, this drama was able to highlight several relevant problems faced by Indian Singaporeans (the target audience, after all!). In this 45-episode drama, we were able to learn about the struggles faced by children with a mother who expects nothing below perfect grades, the battle faced by a blooming star diagnosed with cancer whilst at the peak of her career, a single woman's hesitancy to fall in love after suffering from one heartbreak, the pandemonium which ensues when an employer does not show enough attention to her employee, and the hardships faced by a loving wife whose husband fails to understand her feelings. 5 key problems which are faced here in Singapore form the crux of this story, and reach out to those who are affected while enlightening those who were in the dark.
The 5 main stories running in this drama were all very engaging and made us keep up eagerly with the story, but to me, what made this particular drama really stand out was the way this drama ended. Prior to ATM, I have watched dramas which either had tragic endings or rushed, half-hearted endings. However, ATM's finale and ending in general was very beautifully and elegantly packaged. It was the difference between receiving a half-heartedly wrapped, untidy, wrapper-falling-apart present and receiving a stylishly wrapped, tastefully decorated present. ATM was the equivalent of the latter; the 5 subplots each had a beautifully delightful ending which was delicately crafted such that all dangling ends were neatly tied up. Also, it gave me great pleasure to see all 5 women's stories being subtly braided together at the very ending by another event which drew all 5 women and their families together. What really worked for me was that the sequence of events which led up to the end of ATM were, by and large, mostly realistic and likely to occur in real life, hence appearing natural and relatable to us viewers. Every relatable moment in this drama (and there were plenty) forged a bond between the characters portrayed and the viewers watching their stories unfold. Basically, I was undeniably satisfied and delighted with the way the story of ATM gracefully came to a close.
I may be unavoidably biased in displaying my attachment to this drama, however, I am aware that this drama (like any other production ever made on Earth) had its shortcomings. As mentioned earlier, this drama had many a relatable moment. However, there were small, unrealistic happenings which popped up occasionally. Personally, I found it unrealistic that Raevathy's mother had sustained a coma and died from it from a fall in Campbell Lane. It was a little too sudden and odd for me. And I guess for viewers who have little to no tolerance for crying scenes, the number of scenes with Gauthami breaking down may have been too many. And so on. However, the story was so beautifully developed, with many fine details being attended to, that the positives significantly outnumbered the negatives, and I was basically left feeling passionately addicted to ATM, so much so that I found myself rushing home after school to make it home in time to catch the season finale while it aired on Vasantham, even though I always knew it would come up on Toggle if I missed it. But then I was so in love with ATM that I couldn't bear to.
The cast of ATM also deserve their fair share of praise and glory too! I knew the 5 protagonists were all very talented actors but in this drama they have all given splendid performances. Bad-tempered mother with impossibly high expectations, severely broken cancer patient, conflicted unmarried woman, hot-tempered employer, misunderstood housewife: they were all amazingly and beautifully portrayed! Most, if not all of the 5 leading ladies, have had to act difficult scenes which they had most likely never encountered in real life prior to ATM, and they have done commendably well in those scenes. Well done! Not to neglect the supporting cast though! There were several talented actors among the supporting cast who performed admirably as well, occasionally outshining the protagonists. :)
All in all, watching அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் truly evoked many different feelings in me while I watched the 5 stories unfold, from peals of ecstatic laughter, to tears of empathy, to fuming anger at injustice. Watching அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் was a truly memorable experience, and the story is one which will stay close to my heart. Thank you Vasantham, and thank you creators of அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் for the beautiful drama with its especially beautiful ending. ❤️
Literally translated, அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் means "beautiful Tamil daughter".
When this drama was first aired on Vasantham, it aired plenty of skeptical reactions even among the most devoted Vasantham (drama) fans. The concept, being fairly abstract and hence different from stereotypical dramas, was initially tough for us as audience to grasp. However, after watching the series for the first couple of weeks and grasping the concept of the drama, many of us viewers were left enthralled and hungry for more insight into the life of the 5 "beautiful Tamil daughters" (the 5 main protagonists of this drama).
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் encompasses the lives of 5 young ladies all leading seemingly unrelated lives. Poornima is a mother of two children, one working hard for his A-Levels, and the other working hard for her O'Levels. Gauthami is a media queen who is in the "peak" of her exciting media career. Raevathy is a Tamil journalist who has refused love in the form of marriage due to hurting from a breach of trust which occurred several years ago. Radhika is a rich young woman who is not-so-happily married because she is seemingly unable to let go of her ego when dealing with her housekeeper, and asa result constantly finds fault with her. Amala is a loving housewife, fascinated with cooking and cuisine, who finds herself unappreciated by her husband, who is far more intrigued by poetry, politics and the Tamil language.
5 young ladies leading 5 drastically different lives. I wondered why all 5 of them had to be collectively classified as "beautiful Tamil daughters", when I could not see any similarity connecting the 5 of them together, other than their age range.
But then, the drama charmingly drew all 5 protagonists together in a most unexpected, unforeseen manner: they all ended up volunteering at the same old folks' home. To give credit to those who created this story, this was all done in an amazingly gradual, natural and elegant fashion which actually seemed like a likely scenario which could occur in real life. After all, it is these relatable moments that we drama lovers live for, right?
As the drama drew to a close, it occurred to me that, despite the initial difficulty we all faced with trying to keep up with 5 separate subplots, the struggle and attention was well worth it.
Why so?
In showcasing 5 different young women and their lives, this drama was able to highlight several relevant problems faced by Indian Singaporeans (the target audience, after all!). In this 45-episode drama, we were able to learn about the struggles faced by children with a mother who expects nothing below perfect grades, the battle faced by a blooming star diagnosed with cancer whilst at the peak of her career, a single woman's hesitancy to fall in love after suffering from one heartbreak, the pandemonium which ensues when an employer does not show enough attention to her employee, and the hardships faced by a loving wife whose husband fails to understand her feelings. 5 key problems which are faced here in Singapore form the crux of this story, and reach out to those who are affected while enlightening those who were in the dark.
The 5 main stories running in this drama were all very engaging and made us keep up eagerly with the story, but to me, what made this particular drama really stand out was the way this drama ended. Prior to ATM, I have watched dramas which either had tragic endings or rushed, half-hearted endings. However, ATM's finale and ending in general was very beautifully and elegantly packaged. It was the difference between receiving a half-heartedly wrapped, untidy, wrapper-falling-apart present and receiving a stylishly wrapped, tastefully decorated present. ATM was the equivalent of the latter; the 5 subplots each had a beautifully delightful ending which was delicately crafted such that all dangling ends were neatly tied up. Also, it gave me great pleasure to see all 5 women's stories being subtly braided together at the very ending by another event which drew all 5 women and their families together. What really worked for me was that the sequence of events which led up to the end of ATM were, by and large, mostly realistic and likely to occur in real life, hence appearing natural and relatable to us viewers. Every relatable moment in this drama (and there were plenty) forged a bond between the characters portrayed and the viewers watching their stories unfold. Basically, I was undeniably satisfied and delighted with the way the story of ATM gracefully came to a close.
I may be unavoidably biased in displaying my attachment to this drama, however, I am aware that this drama (like any other production ever made on Earth) had its shortcomings. As mentioned earlier, this drama had many a relatable moment. However, there were small, unrealistic happenings which popped up occasionally. Personally, I found it unrealistic that Raevathy's mother had sustained a coma and died from it from a fall in Campbell Lane. It was a little too sudden and odd for me. And I guess for viewers who have little to no tolerance for crying scenes, the number of scenes with Gauthami breaking down may have been too many. And so on. However, the story was so beautifully developed, with many fine details being attended to, that the positives significantly outnumbered the negatives, and I was basically left feeling passionately addicted to ATM, so much so that I found myself rushing home after school to make it home in time to catch the season finale while it aired on Vasantham, even though I always knew it would come up on Toggle if I missed it. But then I was so in love with ATM that I couldn't bear to.
The cast of ATM also deserve their fair share of praise and glory too! I knew the 5 protagonists were all very talented actors but in this drama they have all given splendid performances. Bad-tempered mother with impossibly high expectations, severely broken cancer patient, conflicted unmarried woman, hot-tempered employer, misunderstood housewife: they were all amazingly and beautifully portrayed! Most, if not all of the 5 leading ladies, have had to act difficult scenes which they had most likely never encountered in real life prior to ATM, and they have done commendably well in those scenes. Well done! Not to neglect the supporting cast though! There were several talented actors among the supporting cast who performed admirably as well, occasionally outshining the protagonists. :)
All in all, watching அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் truly evoked many different feelings in me while I watched the 5 stories unfold, from peals of ecstatic laughter, to tears of empathy, to fuming anger at injustice. Watching அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் was a truly memorable experience, and the story is one which will stay close to my heart. Thank you Vasantham, and thank you creators of அழகிய தமிழ் மகள் for the beautiful drama with its especially beautiful ending. ❤️
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