Prime Video's critically acclaimed crime thriller Suzhal—The Vortex is back for a second season, promising viewers a captivating journey into the heart of small-town India. The Prime Video Tamil Original series set in the fictional village of Kaalipattanam weaves together themes of family, love, and revenge against the backdrop of a vibrant local festival.
The eight-episode series features an ensemble cast including Kathir and Aishwarya Rajesh returning in lead roles, along with Lal, Saravanan, Gouri Kishan (Muthu), Samyuktha Vishwanathan (Naachi), Monisha Blessy (Muppi), Rini (Gaandhari), Shrisha (Veera), Abhirami Bose (Senbagam), Nikhila Sankar (Sandhanam), Kalaivani Bhaskar (Ulagu), and Ashwini Nambiar in pivotal roles, along with Manjima Mohan and Kayal Chandran making special appearances.
We sat down with the creative forces behind the series, Pushkar and Gayatri, to discuss their approach to crafting this new mystery and the unique elements that have made Suzhal resonate with audiences worldwide. Fun fact: the husband-wife duo has been inseparable since their college days, and it shows in their creative partnership as they effortlessly complete each other's sentences. “We first started working together in 1996, making this an association of close to 30 years. This makes our experiences and the interpretation of those experiences a shared one.” Given their intertwined creative process, it only felt natural to present their thoughts in this interview as they shared them—a unified voice representing their creative harmony.
Edited excerpts.
Season 2 promises to delve deeper into an even darker, mysterious, and absorbing crime. Can you elaborate on how you approached writing this new mystery while maintaining continuity with the first season?
Our pitch for the series is ‘small town, big crime, set against a massive micro festival’. The overwhelming reception from Season 1 gave us the impetus to dive deeper to bring something exhilarating on screen. It was not an easy task, and the script went through multiple iterations and versions to finally freeze on what we thought would be an apt follow up to Season 1. It was a challenge to research into different micro festivals, discover the many myths behind them and how they could mirror the present plot. A lot of back and forth happened to tie the knots and eventually untangle them elegantly in the finale.
What would be your top reasons for someone to watch Suzhal Season 2? Do you also need to watch Season 1 to fully comprehend S2?
The gripping plot twists, intriguing emotional angles and how 8 young women with nothing in common become suspects in a crime would definitely be compelling reasons to watch this new season. Most importantly, there’s an insight into the human condition that comes through in the finale which we believe is very essential in the present polarised world.
It's not necessary to watch the first season to follow the second one as it’s a different story, set in a different town with our story anchors—Sakkarai (Kathir) and Nandini (Aishwarya Rajesh)—caught in the eye of the storm. Also, there’s a short and a longer recap on Prime Video’s app and their YouTube channel respectively which should help. Having said this, we would really love for audiences to watch the first season too!
Suzhal has gained critical acclaim in the crowded landscape of streaming crime thrillers. Could you share some insights into the unique elements you incorporated to make the series resonate with audiences?
We are grateful for the critical acclaim and even more for how the content has travelled across geographic, language, and cultural barriers. One main reason for this is the emotional approach to solve the crime, rather than it being simply plot-driven. The rootedness of the show and its people seem to resonate with diverse audiences. The multi-layered approach to the characters, their arcs and the contrast between the cold, clinical investigation parts juxtaposed against the vibrant festival makes it stand out of the clutter.
How do you balance the expectations of both local and international audiences? Are there any specific challenges you face in this regard, especially because a series like Suzhal also takes into regard various local cultural aspects when being filmed?
We were extensive in our research with both video and audio documentation to present an authentic cultural experience. Right from minor details like a simple ritual to larger things like what the festival represents were vetted and discussed in detail. We believe that keeping the plot watertight with suspense and surprise interplaying helps in appealing to different sets of audiences.
To be honest, we tried to make the best show we could and are glad that a wider range of people could appreciate it.
The village of Kaalipattanam plays a central role in Season 2, almost becoming a character in its own right. If you were to write a character profile for Kaalipattanam, how would you describe its personality, quirks, and evolution throughout the series?
Kaalipattanam (means Town of ‘Kaalis,’ the feminine divine) is a small village located in the coastal line of Bay of Bengal. Tucked away from the busy urban life, with big lazy beaches and a populace that's predominantly dependent on the sea, it almost looks idyllic.
Bubbling under this idyllic garb are festering tensions of individuals vs. the collective, modernisation vs. culture, family squabbles, ego tussles and a whole lot more! At the centre of it all is the shiny Pragya Home School, a prestigious elitist school that doesn’t admit local kids, making the divide wide and clear.
As a creative duo, how do you divide tasks and responsibilities when working on a series like Suzhal—The Vortex? Can you walk us through your collaborative writing process?
We have a very organic way of writing and working with each other. We first started working together as Editors of our college newsletter back in 1996. Through this 30-year long association our experiences and interpretations of those experiences are shared. We can talk in short form and understand exactly what the other is trying to communicate. It’s pretty informal overall with no specific method to our madness.
As writers and creators, how do you work with directors to ensure your vision is translated effectively to the screen, especially given the complex narrative and cultural nuances of a series like Suzhal?
It starts with meeting like-minded filmmakers who have a similar way of looking at the world. Once we instinctively gravitate towards a set of directors, like Bramma and Sarjun, we share our scripts and research material. They go through the material and come back to us with their interpretations and doubts.
We follow this with many discussions and arguments over lots of coffee and come to a shared universe of the show. Then we do extensive recces (scouting trips) with the larger cinematography team the production designer and other teams to bring them also into the universe of Suzhal. It’s an extensive process and one which we have come to enjoy.
What’s on your Prime Video watch list?
Right now, it’s Reacher. We are big fans of the show. Another all-time favourite is The Boys and our own Paatal Lok.
