Like a whirlwind, the story swirls!

Suzhal (Tamil, Vortex; 2022)
Amazon Prime Miniseries S1, E1-9.

Just because we live in a close-knit society or have lived long enough to know things, it does not mean we are experts at predicting humans. Humans are a breed of animals that are so difficult to foretell. Sometimes, when we least expect it, the most docile of us may do something so dastardly that it altogether questions our judgement of human character. 

This is the very point that this gripping crime thriller is trying to propagate. I hesitated to delve into another miniseries with nine 1-hour episodes from the get-go. But I am glad I did. This is one of those shows that puts you constantly at the edge of the seat and cannot sleep till you have completed the season. With big ambitions of dubbing it in 15 languages and subtitled in 30, I am sure this Tamil miniseries cannot go wrong.

At the Mayanakoolai carnival

The series tells about the apparent eloping of two teenagers from a small town where everybody knows each other. The parents of the couple are on a warpath in real life. The boy's mother is the local police chief, and the girl's father is the local factory union leader. The factory is gutted by what is suspected to be the work of arson. The eloping couple is later found to have been murdered after all. The storytellers have creatively shifted the suspicion of arson and murder from one person to another. Concurrently, as the investigations proceed, the townspeople are busy with their 8-day-long celebration of Mayanakollai, an event that hails the victory of diety Angala Parameswari Amman over evil.

Goddess Kali's avatar has been feted from the days of yore, pre-Vedic times, by war-going heroes of the Southern part of India for their protection in war. The returning soldiers symbolically bring their loot to this angry form of the Mother. The way the carnival atmosphere and festivity are covered adds to the suspense and steers the story in a cult-like direction. Coincidentally, many transgenders often partake in the extravaganza, giving reason to include their participation in this offering, hoping to get brownie points from the woke-minded crowd. There are many stories linked to their involvement in this festival.

At the end of the day, there is a straightforward explanation of the events, and it reminds us of a social disease often swept under the carpet in many families.

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