Week Ending Nov 17

KOLANGAL
Inside the jail, Manjula, Abhi's repentant murderess friend, overhears Selpettai Saroja and her warder accomplice plotting to mix poison in Abhi's food. Saroja tells her crony that she should mix it in the main dish, and even if a few people die instead of just Abhi, that's better, because it takes suspicion away. Manju rushes out and knocks out plates from several inmates' hands, saying the food is poisoned. She claims to have just overheard Saroja and friend talking about it. Saroja and her friend challenge her, and the friend actually grabs some one's plate and eats from it, thus making a lie of Manjula's claim. As she watches in bemusement, Manjula now sees Saroja's friend mixing poison into Abhi's food before serving it to her. For a moment she is too shocked to say anything. Then, in classic Tamil movie fashion, instead of pointing to the little bottle which she sees in Saroja's friend's hands, she merely insists that Abhi not eat her food. Abhi too is reluctant to believe her a second time. To prove her wrong, Manjula grabs the plate and stuffs her mouth with sambar and rice (and poision) from the plate, and clutches at her throat a few seconds later, collapsing. But not before she tells Abhi how happy she is to make amends for her crime by saving Abhi's life. Manjula is taken to the hospital, where, although she shows signs of revival, the doctor (ostensibly bribed by Saroja) lets her die. The women outside are satisfied that Manjula has been poisoned, and Abhi organizes a protest. Later, Abhi overhears Saroja tell her accomplice that the wrong woman has been killed, and how minister Sankarapandi wanted Abhi killed. Her rage knows no bounds, now that she knows Manjula was telling the truth, and that these women had killed her. She picks up a fat stick and chases the two women, beating them. She reveals that the women were talking about Sankarapandi. The police authorities are called in; while they are thered, the doctor says the postmortem reveals no poisoning, but the police inspector says casually that his people will look into it when Abhi protests again.

Anandi and her friend Bharati go to their editor, having gotten the news of Manjula's death and Sankarapandi's involvement from Abhi. Their editor decides to run the story, making their paper the only one to mention the minister's name. But people begin calling Sankarapandi once the story appears, and reporters badger him. Finally he thinks he has had enough, and marches into the editor's office to demand a retraction. He turns to see Anandi, and launches into a barrage of threats, saying that may be he had done all the things the paper said, but still, keeping in mind that he was a minister, and fearing for her own safety she should have the good sense not to write the story. Then he storms out.

Reaching home, where Adi is there to lend him moral support, he receives a call from the party office, asking him to tender his resignation. He slowly puts the phone down, telling Adi he doesn't understand, they are talking about some video, cd, etc. Just at that time, his assistant comes in, saying a cd had been handed in minutes before. Adi plays the CD. it is the scene of him threatening the newspaper and Anandi earlier in the day. He knows his goose is cooked. He acts well in this scene, an believable concoction of despondency, realism and pride.

Meanwhile, in Pondicherry...Upendra has made arrangements with one David to leave the country by boat to Sri Lanka. David outlines his plans. Tonight, you leave for Sri Lanka, where one Ganeshpandi will meet you and hand you a child. You will take the child and embark for Australia. Why the child, asks Upendra. Because that way you will be more believable as a refugee making it easier to get into Australia, says David. OK, says Upendra, half-amused. I'll go to the Ashram and pack up my things. He is waiting at a bus stand to catch a bus to the Ashram. There, Prabu's wife and young son, who have moved to Pondicherry (wouldn't you have guessed it) spot him, and in true Tamil film fashion, begin chasing him right away, unusuccessfully, of course. But they do run into Tolkappian, who is ambling about without any seeming purpose. The woman tells him all, upon which Tolkappian's manner registers a minor uptick in speed. He goes to the Ashram and learns that Upendra left in the morning but is not back...

Ganga receives a call from Upendra, from a Pondicherry number (she asks where he is calling from, but he refuses to tell her). It is from a public booth. He thanks her for her help and rings off. A few minutes later, when she is wondering what to do, the phone rings, from the same number. She says, "Upendra Master...", but it is Tolkappian, accusing her of letting down Abhi by not handing the phone evidence to the court. She says she did this to save him, extracting a promise from Adi. He says I don't believe you any more, but as he his speaking (it is a public booth) some men come and drag him away into a car. DAvid's men, on Upendra's orders. They take him to a cemetary, where Upendra begins beating him without mercy with a stick (the same stick that Abhi used in the earlier scene). He lies senseless.

Meanwhile, Ganga rushes to Adi's house and finds he is not there. She goes to Sankara Pandi's and tells about Upendra, Tolkappian, etc. Adi promises to help, as does ex-minister, winkking at each other.

SELVI
Selvi's dad stops her from eating the poisoned sambar (interfering busybody, prolonging our misery). James is discovered, and confesses. Selvi and Niranjan drag him to Andavan's house. Andavan blusters, but his admission having kidnapped James' wife and son, and ordering him to poision Selvi, are all captured on Niranjan's cell phone recorder, and upon this threat, he releases both, promising vengeance.

Waiting for click-click to become a major, Selvi is shifting her from one place to another, with only three days left. She takes him finally to Pasupathi's place. Pasupathi agrees to guard them, but when is out on work, Praba goes out to buy medicines for Click Click. Chellapillai spots him and informs Pandian where they are. He is ordered to kidnap Praba, which he does. But before Pandian can come and take Click Click with him, Pasupathi is back and takes her to (where else?) Selvi's place. But Praba is missing. Pandian calls Selvi for a prisoner exchange: his daughter for her brother. Selvi says no deal. She approaches Sembagavalli, Pandian's wife. It is agreed that she will go to Pandian's place (it is not known where he could be) and inform Niranjan and Selvi,s o they can come and grab Praba. Brave lady. She callse Chellappillai and makes up a story about wanting to come back to live with Pandian. pandian is overjoyed. Chellappillai takes her to the hideout. Praba is in the next room, reciting ancient Tamil poetry which none of his captors, exponents of Madras basai, can follow.

In his joy at his wife joining him (or perhaps sorrow at the prospect having to live with her), Pandian starts drinking hard, and Sembagavalli wisely adds a couple of tables to his drink as well, he dismisses all his cronies to go and have a good time to celebrate his wife's return. Then he crashes on his bed, passed out.

At Andavan's place, Malar displays her first sign of human intelligence during the entire serial, and a major one it is! It turns out that she and Amar have been living together platonically, and he asks if there can be anything more. She says, maybe, with time. Next day he brings back a contract he has been working on for six months, something he has acheived on his own, finally. He asks his father for a 2 crore investment that's needed. Malar overhears this, and acts. He keeps the file with the LC in the almirah. When he steps out, she quickly opens the almirah and grabs the LC, putting back the empty file. Almost immediately after this, he returns and locks the almirah. She takes the paper and burns it on the gas stove, remembering how they had burned her father's shop. Next day he come and looks for the LC, but it is not there. He tears his other files inside out, but it is not to be found. His father advises him to look closely at the women in the house. At night he Malar drops a hint, she thinks it is his father. He cannot believe it. He doesn't want you to progress on your own, she pushes. He protests, but the seed of suspicion is planted. Subtly done.

Sembagavalli calls Niranjan, who prepares to go.

PENN
Reconciliation all around. Solai with Ranga, Bharani with Solai, Bharani with Chitra (who finally reveals who she really is and starts wearing her saree like a non-gujarati). Solai announces that he is Bharani's elder brother. He is going to give up the financing business and begin a normal life. He advises Mohini to live with Senthil. Ranga wants to start a new diet foods business. Uma and Kumar come to see what she is up to, and begin making exorbitant demands, including the marriage cost to be 35 lakhs. She has no money, having distributed all her assets, but she readily agrees to their demands.

Solai and Ranga grow very close in a son-mother relationship, each trying to persuade the other to accept the house.