“Anandam” – is the story of life. That when all’s well, it ends well.
The patriarch of this story – Mr.Radhakrishnan is an industrialist. His life essentially revolves around his wife Rajeswari and his four children.
Madhan is his eldest son. Well settled and comfortably well off, he stays with his parents and wife Abirami. Abirami is the heartbeat of the family. She is an archetypal daughter-in-law who tries to stay in control.
Karthick is Radhakrishnan’s second son and the main protagonist of “Anandam”. He is the army man, away from home and also the most eligible bachelor in town.
Abirami, the daughter-in-law hopes to get him married to her younger sister Ramya.
Two daughters complete this picture perfect family. Anita is daddy’s pet and goes about with an attitude that stings. Swathi is Miss Goody Two Shoes. Anita and Swathi are both ready to tie the knot and the father is busy looking out for eligible grooms.
Karthick’s visit is eagerly awaited and the family is overjoyed when they hear from him. The entire family prepares for Karthick and even decides to get him engaged to Ramya.
Their joy though is short lived. Karthick comes home as a married man with his wife Shanthi and a 3 year old daughter.
The family is shattered and finds it difficult to accept the new daughter-in-law. More so, when they learn that she is a war widow and her marriage to Karthick is all of three month old.
Shanthi’s entry into the household upsets the congenial bonding that exists in the house and the family puts her through great humiliation.
She is harassed by Abirami and her sister Ramya who treat her like an intruder and scheme together to show her in poor light.
Shanthi smiles through all this even though she hurts for their love, affection and ultimately their acceptance. Upset at their behavior, Karthick decides to give up his army life and help Shanthi.
Karthick’s sudden marriage also upsets all the marriage plans for Anita and Swathi. Radhakrishnan hence decides to marry them off to the offspring’s of his immediate kin.
Dinesh, their paternal aunt’s son is a businessman and rogue. But he is rich and hence ideal for Anita.
Arjun, their maternal aunt’s son is an ordinary supervisor in a factory. But Swathi decides to marry him.
Even as the family gets ready to get the daughters married, Anita decides against Dinesh whom she feels is a little too roguish for her liking. By a strange twist of fate, the grooms are reversed and the girls get married.
Poor Shanthi is blamed for all the confusion, even as she helps Anita settle down to wedded bliss and guides Swathi through a rocky marital life.
How Shanthi weaves herself into the family with her good nature and gets accepted by the entire family and how she changes their life positively forms the crux of this story.
This serial depicts war on many levels.
On one level, there’s the actual war, with soldiers battling for peace.
On the other level, there’s Shanthi, fighting for her identity.
On the third level, there’s the family that is fighting to come to terms with the changes that surround their otherwise predictable life.
But like all wars, this one also comes to an end and alters the equation to a life lived happily ever after.
There’s only Anandam at the end.
