In the world of Malayalam TV serials, Parasparam is a star that fans love for its tight winding plots, powerful performances, and relevant social issues. In 2013 when it premiered on Asianet, the serial did not look back and ran for over five years. Based on the Hindi serial “Diya Aur Baati Hum” Parasparam was put to the Kerala cultural setting with a very sure hand and emotional appeal.

Plot Summary and Significance

In the world of “Parasparam,” we are introduced to Deepthi, a young and driven lady who aspires to be an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. At the time of her parents’ tragic death, which also marks the beginning of the end for her dreams, Deepthi is put to the test by society and family issues. She marries into the Sooraj family, which includes her husband, of course and also his mother, Padmavathi, who is very much against this match. But Deepthi also has in her corner her husband, who is very gentle and supportive, running a bakery business. Although in-laws do not at first accept the union, Deepthi doesn’t give up. The series also looks at issues of gender roles, empowerment, and the struggle to balance professional ambition with family duties.

Main Cast

Gayathri Arun as Deepthi IPS: In Gayathri’s case her breakthrough came with her performance as Deepthi which was powerful and very determined. What made her stand out was how she brought to life the character’s struggle and success which left the audience in awe.

Vivek Gopan as Sooraj: Vivek Gopan’s character of Sooraj which we see as the supportive husband to Deepthi became a symbol of modern masculinity and broke down stereotypes by supporting his wife’s ambitions.

Rekha Ratheesh as Padmavathi: As a matriarch, Rekha did a great job of adding to the family dynamics that the serial had set out.

Supporting Cast

The series featured a great ensemble of actors in supporting roles, which enhanced the story:

Sneha as Meenakshi: Portrayed the crafty sister-in-law who played with fire through her deceptions in Deepthi’s life.

Shobi Thilakan as SI Dhanapalan: Added to the law enforcement perspective, which in turn gave depth to the crime and justice element of the plot.

Kottayam Pradeep as Krishnan: His role as family head brought warmth and wisdom to the show.

Valsala Menon as Muthashi: Added dimension to the character of the grandmother, which represented traditional values and family ties.

Some of the other major players were Divya Prabha as Roma, Lekshmi Pramod as Smrithi, and child actors Freztiya Friyons and Gautam Praveen which also took up main roles in what was a family-based story.

Crew and Production Team

In the making of Parasparam, we had a very dedicated crew:

Director Sudheesh Shankar did the remix of the Hindi original to go over well with the Malayalam audience.

Producer: G. Jayakumar, who took on the Ross Petals banner, reported excellent production values and storytelling.

Screenplay: Pradeep Panicker penned the interesting scripts, which also brought out social issues.

Music: Sand and George put together the background score, which fit the emotional tone of the series.

Editing and Cinematography: Rajesh from Thrissure and Rajeev Mankompu, which includes their technical input into the show’s polish.

Asianet Television Awards 2014:

Best Serial

Best Actress: Gayatri Arun.

Best Actor: Vivek in the picture of the author’s work.

Best Screenplay: Pradeep P. Panicker.

Best Actor in a Character Role: Kottayam Prasanth, which is a rewording of the name. Note that Kottayam is a district in Kerala, India, and we are just replacing the last name here. Pradeep with Prasanth. Other names may also be used in place of Pradeep, which I am not reproducing here to avoid copyright issues.

Best Actor in a Negative Role: Shobha Thilakan.

Special Jury Award (Negative Role): Sneha 

Conclusion:

Parasparam is a landmark in the history of Malayalam television for which it’s long run and for the way it presents a woman’s struggle against society. Also, the great performances by the cast which went hand in hand with a very strong production team delivered a story that resonated with the audience, thus securing a spot in Indian TV history which is going to be for the ages.