Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is an unassuming story about an engineering graduate who goes from Chennai to a small village in Tamil Nadu after landing a government job there as the panchayat secretary. Each chapter in this eight-episode-long Prime Video show lasts about 30 minutes and revolves around the simple things that happen in a village. One episode is about Siddharth (Abishek Kumar) busting an age-old village superstition. Another is mainly about the protagonist going to a photo studio to apply for an MBA entrance examination. Another is about someone stealing Siddharth's computer monitor (what happens to the PC component is as funny as anything else in Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam). However, the glue that binds the show together is the fish-out-of-water aspect of a city man getting used to village life. Each episode is named after the things shown in it, like ‘Marathula pei irukkam la’ in the case of the superstition chapter, to name one.
The beauty of Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is that some episodes would work even if the milieu is changed. For instance, you could replace the studio in ‘Inimey pechukku idam illa’ with, say, a saloon, and it would be just as funny and wisecracking. The show works thanks to the perceptive writing and the terrific cast. The writing makes sure every character is relatable. For example, it beautifully brings out the city-bred nature of Siddharth and the fact that he is a bit out of his depths in the village. Siddharth does not hate the people around him. It is just that he does not fancy the situation he finds himself in. Writer Balakumaran Murugesan and director Naga capture the essence of the protagonist, especially in one scene where he opens his village office door, only to find the rest of the Panchayat team with alcohol bottles at his doorstep. He smiles in a way suggesting that he has been half expecting their arrival.
Also, take Soundarya (Niyathi Kadambi), with the nickname ‘Sound’, for instance. You barely see Sound in the show, but you hear her voice alright. Sound’s parents, Meenakshi Sundaram (Chetan) and Meenakshi Devi (Devadarshini) talk about her future, especially her marriage, and her absence makes it a perceptive piece of commentary about the societal pressure on a girl like her to conform to traditions in a patriarchal society. Moreover, the husband and wife have Meenakshi in their names, so the former calls the latter ‘Sound Amma’. While Sound Amma is the village head, her husband is the one who makes all the big calls. It takes the whole show for Sound Amma to get her ‘voice’.
There are more quirky characters, such as the village secretary’s assistant Lakshmipathi (Paul Raj) with a penchant for tea. It is a trait that Abhishek Kumar, the lead actor, describes as “tea positive,” the kind of guy who craves the drink even when there is a tsunami. Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is a fine ensemble piece with an array of strong performances. Abhishek Kumar easily slips into the shoes of this engineering grad, who has all the flaws and good qualities of any other ordinary man. Sometimes, he is the kind of man who gets provoked over trivial matters, such as his assistant seeking his advice to help a family find a name for their newborn. Other times, he is this wise-talking graduate who prepares for hours on end for an MBA entrance examination. For a stand-up comic with the ability to crack a joke on cue, Abhishek shows plenty of restraint to portray an emotional, sometimes stoic, character.
Other prominent characters are Chetan as the acting village head, Devadarshini as his wife, and Anandsami as his brother-in-law. They all have scene-stealing moments, but it is Abhishek and Chetan who get the maximum screen time. Meenakshi Sundaram initially comes across as a corrupt villager with a big ego, but he also has good qualities, as we quickly discover. Chetan is a hoot as Meenakshi Sundaram, a man who keeps reminding his wife of Siddharth’s monthly salary, 20,000 rupees, which can make most engineering graduates and even MBA grads wince.
It is only late into the show that we discover the importance of the Sound Amma character. The makers keep her in the periphery only to deliver a sucker punch of a climax. I cannot wait to see where the makers of Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam will take her in season 2, should it materialise.
All in all, like its original, Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is not about the big resolutions or grand endings common in web series. Its charm lies in something as mundane as watching an old man staring at a big tree with reflective stickers as life unfolds in this quaint little village.
Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam
Rating: 3.5/5
Director: Naga
Cast: Abishek Kumar, Devadarshini, Chetan, Anandsami, Paul Raj