Crime thrillers often thrive on forensic breakthroughs, technological wizardry, and cold, deductive logic. The Vadhandhi series, however, has been based on something far more fallible: human intuition. From the instincts of a cop to the assumptions people form about those around them, the series explores how a case can be cracked by trusting one's gut, while also warning about the vagaries of truth. With the second season, Vadhandhi: The Mystery of Mani, creative producers Pushkar and Gayatri delve deeper into that contradiction, using the investigation not merely to solve a crime but to examine the people, prejudices and relationships that shape the truth.
Excerpts:
Take us through the choice of making Vadhandhi based on human intuition.
Pushkar: Andrew pitched Vadhandhi as an investigation series that largely leans on human intelligence. In general, non-urban policing in India relies on the cop's experience and his empathy towards the world he is working in.
Gayatri: The show is set in a rural police station where there are no frequent reports of crime. Even in a city, cybercrime offices aren't as sophisticated as shown in films and series. We had visited forensic labs during the course of Vadhandhi for research purposes. Trust me, not many would even know where Tamil Nadu's premier forensic lab is situated. It is that low-key. But they have an impressive record of cracking tricky cases.
Pushkar: Even if you look at this from a judiciary point of view, the clinching evidence is drawn purely from human inferences and judgements.
Another interesting thing about the Vadhandhi series is that as much as it believes in intuition, it also offers a caveat on human judgement. Hence Vadhandhi.....
Pushkar: You have hit the nail on the head with that. Be it the case of Velonie or 'Modakathan' Mani, we wanted to explore where things boomerang and where it leads when people believe the first thing they hear about these individuals. Things said about both Velonie and Mani are told in passing without any intention of malice.
Gayatri: What we also liked about this crux of trusting human instincts while also doubting them is that it aligns with our worldview. No one is perfect. No one can be right all the time, and no one can be wrong all the time. There are all kinds of people.
How did you manage to break away from the Good Muslim-Bad Muslim portrayal with Sasikumar's Moosa Raaza?
Gayatri: We wanted to embrace Sasikumar's identity and personality into the characterisation of Moosa Raaza. It is always a win-win when you are able to align an actor's personality and the character you want them to play. Andrew designed Moosa Raaza as he was interacting with Sasi. The patience with which Sasi operates and interacts is what has gone into Moosa's nature of being calm, yet a very thinking cop.
Pushkar: There wasn't any necessity that it had to be a Muslim character. Actually, there is a true incident of a cop wanting the department to allow him to have a beard. There is a diversity of issues that the cops face. Also, not just Muslims, but even Hindu officers or constables who are set to take the Sabarimala pilgrimage sport beards and walk barefoot.
Gayatri: Also, the whole beard episode that shows Moosa taking on his department shows his tenacity and informs you that he will stand for what he believes to be right, which in this case is the innocence of Mani.
How huge is the task of writing red herrings for a thriller-familiar audience?
Pushkar: This is what we call 'Muzhu Pusanikkaaya Sothula Maraikkuradhu' of thriller writing. Thematically speaking, this is what Vadhandhi is about; it throws a bizarre but comfortable explanation, acceptable to all, of what could have taken place. When the audience feels that this person would not have committed this crime, we build on it and build on it to the point of convincing them, and then we flip the table around to give a closer look at the lives of people actually involved. We wanted to have a self-finishing loop.
Gayatri: Since more people are consuming thrillers and are familiar with the pattern, we need to work on new structures. We placed a clue in one of the initial episodes that most will notice only in hindsight.
What are the benefits and obstacles in setting a crime thriller outside Chennai?
Pushkar: When the world is busy exploring the world, here we are fascinated by Kanniyakumari, Kovilpatti, and Madurai. Andrew's Fable of Velonie pitch had interesting information on the Anglo-Indian community in Kumari, which was rich in storytelling. The benefit of setting the series outside Chennai is our honest attempt to tell stories outside our comfort zone in an unfamiliar world. Also, an obvious challenge is the logistics part of it. Andrew didn't just go location hunting; he also observed people there.
Gayatri: The precision in capturing the ethos can be understood both as an advantage and a challenge. You need to understand how they talk and think. We have a very informed rural audience. If you miss the diction or dialect, you will be questioned by them. That pushes us to work hard towards perfection.
Vadhandhi: The Mystery of Mani is as much a story of interpersonal relationships as it is a whodunnit. Tell us about that choice.
Gayatri: The idea was to present the realistic cop's wholesome life. From growing a beard to taking care of an expectant wife, Moosa has a set of problems. Whereas Anagha's Rathika is a female IPS officer, who has completely different problems. This is one of the major factors that attract us towards long-form content. It has a great scope for world-building and thinking beyond just one protagonist and antagonist.
Pushkar: Vadhandhi presents this opportunity to synchronise these many stories and coalesce them into a larger whole. This works beautifully in both ways: You can work on the personal stories that eventually converge with the main plot, and also use the main plot to solve individual problems.
