Zooming in on 'Bhoom'

WHEN THE neighbour's brats dart in and out of your living room, chirpily chorussing "Bhoom...Bhoom...Shakalaka", you find yourself unwittingly humming the same long after the kids have left. The title song of Revathi and Suresh Menon's 'Bhoom...Bhoom...Shakalaka', a daily soap for children on Sun TV, has this effect on you. "The credit goes to Sunil who has done it..." says Revathi with a smile. The beat, the voice...everything sets the right mood for this fun-filled fantasy that is a treat in graphics for children.

There are several serials coming up, in which magic and thereby graphics are being used. "But, we see to it that "Bhoom...Bhoom" has such "magic" scenes in every episode so as to sustain children's interest, says Revathi and adds "The story may not be different. But, the treatment surely is".

One noticeable thing about Revathi that comes to the fore in the course of the conversation is her incredible candidness. With so many plus points listed, the serial must have really caught on with kids you feel. ``That's not totally true...", the frank and immediate response takes you by surprise. "We have plans to go on for a year and we are not compromising on quality", she says. In reality, the serial is slowly picking up, and will soon become even more popular with children with summer holidays round the corner. Revathi feels the same. "I know that many children are beginning to watch... "Bhoom...bhoom..."

The concept for 'Bhoom...Bhoom' came from husband Suresh. At the screenplay stage, Revathi sat with the others and each came up with ideas. "That was the time I realised that there is a child in everyone of us..." laughs Revathi.

She has her hands full with their Telephoto Entertainers producing "Bhoom...Bhoom" and "Nirangal". But there is no interference whatsoever from her end in 'Nirangal'. "It is entirely Devibala's (writer) and Arundhavaraj's (director) domain," she asserts..

"Bhoom...Bhoom" on the other hand is a project which she is very enthusiastic about because thinking like children excites her. "Your whole thought process has to change," she exclaims. Revathi is very particular that there is nothing gory or frightening in "..Bhoom... Bhoom". If at all, the soap can only instil the right values in children, she feels.

It is the story of a bad man and a child gifted with magical powers, who has to be protected against the evil designs of the man.

Venky is the director of "Bhoom...Bhoom". Revathi participates in the story discussion and coordinates between the pre-production and post-production work. "I tie up loose ends", is her succinct comment. Venkatesh is in charge of the screenplay while C.P. Shanmugham pens the dialogues. Revathi has a role in it too. She is a tiny three and half inch Lilliputian in "Bhoom..Bhoom" and ``I just enjoy doing the part", she states with glee.

But that's about the only acting assignment of this extremely successful actress. Probably producing serials is too time consuming. "No..no" the frankness continues. "At 30 plus, our films only offer docile mother or sister roles to women... I am not very keen on such characters". But she did act as the hero's mother in "Tajmahal"! The story as originally conceived had a beautiful mother and son angle to it, which later however was not developed as planned, she explains. So, the point is, she will don elderly roles if they provide something concrete. But would it not be disconcerting to act as the mother of a hero with whom she had been paired earlier? "Why should it?", is her counter. "It's acting after all." It is after 30 that a woman really blossoms and sadly there are very few noteworthy roles for women of that age group, unlike in Hollywood, where the 30 plus woman has a lot to do, is Revathi's observation.

Yet as of now, Revathi is thrilled about her role in "Bhoom...Bhoom". And awaits mature, challenging roles on the small screen.

"Have you noticed that women in cinema are hardly career oriented? A working woman on the big screen is a rarity...and even if she does have a profession, she is projected as being callous and naughty".

Getting back to "Bhoom...Bhoom, Revathi says that they choose artistes for the serial with care. Constantly on the look out for new faces, she admits that a good face combined with talent is a difficult combination and hence finding capable actors and actresses does pose problems.

"All the same, we manage to get good fresh faces", she says and shows you a picture of Anu Hassan in "Bhoom..Bhoom".

The girl who won hearts as the simple, braided village girl in Suhasini's "Indra" looks incredibly young and modern. "She comes down from Calcutta, where she lives, for the shoot", says Revathi. The common complaint about mega serials is that the story never moves. Revathi assures that is exactly what they try to avoid in "Bhoom...Bhoom.

Nevertheless it all boils down to the fact that creating costly visuals, special effects and graphics on a daily basis, albeit for the small screen, could prove to be too ambitious a venture. But Revathi and Suresh Menon hope to make it a success.

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

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