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Indic mythology and scriptures are so rich in symbolism that a plot like Aindham Vedham, if handled sensitively, could have delivered a masterpiece. Instead, it badly disappoints
By Pankaj Molekhi
I watched Aindham Vedham, or ‘Fifth Veda’, a web-series with eight episodes spread over four-and-a-half hours, intrigued by its superior ratings on various portals. The series, touted as a mythological Sci-Fi thriller on Zee5 OTT platform, is directed by Naga, who has been associated with Tamil cinema for nearly three decades. I had also seen several small clips of the show and was curious to know its projected story.
The elementary plot is about a mysterious ‘fifth Veda’ which is scheduled to emerge at a non-descript temple in a village of Tamil Nadu. There are many contributors to this event, ‘assigned by destiny’, and aided by a few shepherds, who begin to assemble on the spot for the eventuality.
There is also a parallel, sinister plot which is linked to an AI consortium. This syndicate aims to generate a cyborg-android (similar to The Terminator’s Arnold Schwarzenegger) entity who would be far more powerful and superior to the human species. Interestingly, this diabolical idea also has its origin in the same mystical symbols which indicate the emergence of a fifth Veda (or Vedham).
To be honest, the plot holds a solid promise. And there are interesting, mysterious turns that keep the audience hooked at times, but not always.
The best part of the drama is how an array of characters – a punk woman, a meat exporter from Australia, an AI geek, a writer from the US, an archaeologist, a sculptor et al – are drawn to a small village of Tamil Nadu, led by an unusual turn of events. This particular phase of the series has been cleverly crafted by the director.
The complexity of characters is drawn creditably. Each one carries a past, mostly an intriguing one, and is besotted by his or her own demons. This versatility of characters keeps the story well-bound.
However, just when the story must begin unfolding towards a climax, it starts to lose the plot. Irrational characters and unscientific occurrences take over the mysterious thread. The storyline begins to get tainted by the superfluous religiosity or fictional overdose. From the mystery genre, the series shifts gears to a ghost-horror plot, complete with an aghori (tantrik), some immortal beings, and a rebirth drama.
Indic mythology and scriptures are so enormous and rich in symbolism that a plot like Aindham Vedham, if handled sensitively, could have delivered a masterpiece. But the makers probably were so overwhelmed by the basic premise that they failed to tell a spectacular story. In the end, what we have is a mumbo-jumbo of divine fatalism and cliched, science-fiction overindulgence. The series leaves more questions than it answers, but not in a positive, curious way.
Another jarring point is the dubbing. My assumption is that the South-to-Hindi dubbing industry is monopolized. One never finds any voice variations in the works of dubbing artists for different actors.
There seems to be a standard set of four voices – one for the hero, one for the villain, one for the heroine and one for the comedian – for every movie. These voices are repeated over and over for every work that is dubbed from Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam cine-world. Imagine having to hear the same voice from Dhanush in Asuran, to Sri Murali in Bagheera, and then from Fahadh Faasil in Aavesham!
Back to the series, most characters have performed moderately well, but there is no spark of brilliance in anyone, the least in the protagonist, Anu, played by Sai Dhanshika. Though I loved her punk get-up, with fusion outfits, body piercings and tattoos alongside a traveller bug, I wish she could put up a better performance onscreen. Indeed, throughout the series, she carries a single expression on her face – one that of an exasperated scowl.