The Ks of Tamil Nadu - Wah, Kya Family Hai...

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I have often wondered where Tamil cinema draws its inspiration for melodramatic, overly emotional and impractical family sentiments, from. Perhaps they are inspired by the mysterious family complexities surrounding the lives of our "great" Dravidian leaders. Much like mega serials in competing channels, the real life Dravidian political family story comes with different star cast and entirely original plots. We have Jayalalithaa... little is known about her family (except of course the "Friend" Sasikala), the intrigue here cooks up a great plot. We also know about MGR and his adopted children, who are now engaged in a bloody battle over the late chief minister's monetary legacy (of course many within and outside his family try to corner his political legacy). Then we have Ramadass, senior and junior, twin stars of what seems to be a political-business blockbuster. But, all these would appear juvenile, unprofessional and average stories when compared to what's now the undisputed box office buster - The K family.

The K family is both interesting and intriguing. First it will take a very long time and some detailed research to understand who is related to whom and in how many different ways. For instance, Karunanidhi's elder daughter, Selvi, is married to Murasoli Maran's brother Murasoli Selvam. This makes, Selvi, an aunt (chitti in Tamil) to Maran's sons Dayanidhi and Kalanidhi. But, then she was their aunt even before her marriage. Murasoli Maran is Karunanidhi's nephew and that makes Karunanidhi's daughter his cousin and aunt (athai in Tamil) to Daya and Kala. Now you see what I mean by a confusing family bond and this is just one side. Selvi's blood brothers are M.K.Stalin and Azhagiri. That is why she probably tried to bring a rapprochement between her Father and brothers on one side and her nephews (marans) on the other.

All these years Selvi stayed in Bangalore, far away from this confusing family structure. But apparently over the past few months she's been trying to bring her family together. So what happened? Well, Selvi had to be hospitalized. There are several rumours on why, ranging from a suicide attempt to a routine health check up. But it's possible and probable that she was merely looking at her family chart and felt terribly dizzy. We don't know what's next from Selvi or whether her episode is now over. But one can't help compare this latest episode, in the K-family drama, to a famous Tamil mega serial on Sun TV called "Selvi"(starring Radhika Sarathkumar). The name is a mere coincidence and has no connection to Karunanidhi's Selvi, but had the makers only had the good sense to use the real Selvi storyline, it could have become a bigger and definitely better blockbuster.

Selvi is just one little story, five to ten episodes in the 5000 episode, never ending K family mega serial. The reason we took Selvi's episode is because she's relatively lesser known and because of her recent trip to the hospital. But make no mistake there are several better episodes, some we've seen and others we will. They are so intricately intertwined and complicated that exploring it could cost you and me a trip to a mental asylum or if we are lucky a bruised trip to a hospital. Let's risk that and go on after all this drama is irresistible.

Right now the main plot in the drama is the fight between the Maran brothers and Karunanidhi's own children. The fight's manifested itself in the state's cable industry and even gave birth to a TV channels from the K stable. Every birthday in the family is a gripping episode, leaving us confused on whether or not the two warring sides are comming together. Remember though that the main plot keeps changing and now there are hints that the war of the cousins could turn into a war of the brothers (Stalin versus Azhagiri). The big K seems to want all this to go on beyond his lifetime and so you have Azhagiri's daughter Kayalvizhi and Stalin's son Udayanidhi as the new faces and we are allready predicting the main actors in a future fight.

We have seen Kalanidhi Maran, Dayanidhi, Stalin, Kanimozhi, and Azhagiri and now we are seeing Udayanidhi and Kayalvizhi. If these are the nationally and regionally recognised stars and upcomming actors from the K Family stable, there are several other actors. Each one has a story mixing with the main political plot, they exit and enter in episodes, like Selvi did, and that makes this drama and it's plot unbeatable. Tamil Film Directors are already toying with the idea of a movie or a mega serial, inspired by the big K. Only confusion who do they go to for the air waves Kalaignar TV, Sun TV or Jaya TV.

Often when Karunanidhi attends a Dravidian marriage, he says, "I am not a guest, I am part of this family". That's probably a suggestion that if we use "family" the way it's defined by the octogenarian leader, then not many in Tamil nadu could be spared from it. Now the drama is gaining ground in Delhi and it rivals the Gandhi family soap opera. Politically, if the Gandhi's are the Big B and King Khans of the soap industry, the Karunanidhis are the Rajinis and the Kamals.

The Gandhi's have a legacy and perhaps experience has taught them the ability to keep their family small (no reference to Sanjay Gandhi here) and hence easy to handle. But, the K's are just begining to realise the benefits of family planning. Let's hope that they will soon learn and make structural and fundamental changes.

But, till then we the people can turn this on 7 days a week 24 hrs a day. Let the state pay the price.... and Oops when anyone speaks Governance and democracy ...I'm sorry can't hear them now, this drama's too gripping.