While Nature decks herself in a hundred blooms in anticipation of Mahabali’s visit and the dragon flies trumpet his imminent arrival, Amrita TV prepares a sumptuous banquet of programmes to celebrate the homecoming of the legendary Monarch,  from September 8^th -11^th .

The delicious starters for the day are Kavyachitrangal, an ode to Onam at 7.00 am each day by the eminent bards of Malayalam who eulogise the majesty and splendor of the fete; Kalayude Thirumuttangal at 8.10 am tours the ancient  temples of Kerala, fountainheads of art, along with Mattanur, Kuttan Marar, Hari Govindan to pay homage to our glorious cultural heritage.

The main course consisting of megablockbusters begins on September 8^th with Chaverpada, at 9.00am on Uthradam, a hair-raising thriller that tackles terrorism starring Bala, Mukta, Manikuttan and Nadia Moidu’s comeback vehicle Doubles alongside  Mammootty, that goes on air at 2.00pm. Both the superstars turn up for Thiruvonam on September 9^th to present a double treat for viewers; the patriotic Vande Mataram in which Mammootty tracks down hard- core extremists appears at 9.00am and Mohanlal’s Shikar which exploits his full histrionic range, adds to the flavor at 2.00pm. Avittom movies of September 10^th  include Mommy & Me that fills the post breakfast slot of 9.00am , features Urvashi ,Mukesh, Kunchako Boban and Archana Kavi and  deals with the contemporary issue of teenage rebellion; Koottukar, the action thriller co-starring Vino Mohan and Bhama which explores the complexities of college politics comes on at  2.00pm.The breezy entertainer Pathinonnil Vyazham on with Mukesh and Manya in the lead will be transmitted at 9.00am on Chatayam, September 11^th and Chattambinadu with Mammootty in the role of a thug supported by Laxmi Rai, Manoj K Jayan,Siddique and Vinu Mohan at 2.00pm winds up the movie section.

A tempting array of sweetmeats are served throughout the four days, the most delectable being:

On September 8^th  Uthradam, the first day of Onam, Mohanlal, the darling of the Malayalee masses is seen at close quarters at 9.00pm; Asif Ali flashes to the past , back to his college days when he was the star of the champion Athapoo team in Hello Asif at 6.30pm; Lekshmi Gopalaswami narrates her 1^st enjoyable encounter with Onam on the sets of her very first film and the fond memories she has of both the film and the fete in Gopika Vasantham at  7 pm. In Rachnayum Sangeethavum at 7.30pm, Shibu Chakravarthy and Ouseppachan, the superhit lyricist-composer duo who have gifted Malayalam Cinema with scores of exceptional film songs, come together to share their experiences on the difficult art of creating unforgettable playback music. Madhuram at 8.30pm  finds Akhila fresh from her success as the heroine of Tejabhai; Mithra Kurien, the child actor matured into glamorous heroine saunters through her acting memories from Mayookham to Bodyguard in Saumithram at 12 noon; Archana & You sounds out Archana Kavi on her attitudes, likes, dislikes and plans at  1.30 pm.

The major highlights for Thiruvonam on September 9^th , are a blockbuster interview with mega star Suresh Gopi in Abhinaya Kalayude Ekalavyan at 6.30pm. In Abhinayathinte Kavyabhangi in the prime time slot of 7pm, Kavya Madhavan discloses the lacerating wounds caused by her catastrophic marriage, the way her parents stood by her in her hour of crises, her indebtedness to her mentor Kamal, under whose baton she won both her State Awards etc. Music maestro Yesudas whose immortal voice harped on Keralites’ heartstrings for over 50 years, confides the struggles underwent, the crises faced and landmarks achieved in his melodious journey in Aalapanathinte Amarapatham at 7.30 pm on Thiruvonam & Avittam. Nrithya Mayoori at 8.00pm features Sudha Chandran’s  inspiring account of her devastating accident and the way she checkmated Fate to become the dancing marvel. In Swapna Sancharikal at 8.30, on the sets of Swapna Sanchari, Kamal’s 42^nd film that re-unites the successful Jayaram-Kamal combination after a 12 year gap, Jayaram reviews the clutch of films they had done in the 80’s and 90’s, comments on the changing shoot conditions then and now, explains why he dislikes working late into the day and so on; Samvratha Sunil  escorts us to the Onam celebrations of her childhood in Saumyam, Shaleenam at 1.30pm.

Avittam specials on September 10^th include Azakinte Pudumodi at 6.30pm , in which the daring and dauntless Mamta Mohandas holds forth on how she fought and conquered cancer, why she twittered her malady to the whole world and boldly states her views on homosexuality, pre-marital relationships and other off-limits topics. Prithviraj bares his soul for the first time by relieving the trauma of his father’s  sudden death when he was just a school boy ; reveals the loves of his life and discuses his production experiences of Urumi that is raking in profits in Telugu and his new venture ‘Indian Rupee’ in Pakittarna Puthanonam at 8.30pm .In an intimate tete-a-tete, Ananya  ruminates over her past films, the incredible opening in ‘Shikar’,her plum part in ‘Seniors’ and ponders over her future in Ananyam Ee Charutha at 1.30 pm. Rithushobhayil at 5.30pm captures Nishaan and Vinay ,both products of FTII Pune in an animated conversation as Vinay recalls the way girls reacted to Nishaan’s swoon -worthy looks and both reminiscence on the career making breaks given by Shyamaprasad and Sibi Malayil.

The best of Chathayam the final day of Onam on September 11^th , are Kudamullapoo at 6.30 pm that features Meeran Nandan to whom Onam is  a festival of gifts; Chenthamizhu Peshunna Nattumaina at 7 pm which catches Amla Paul , the latest pin-up sensation in confiding mode as she recaps her campus days, the thrills of twittering, the fun and escapades on the sets of ‘Maina’ and  ‘Daivathirumakal’. Vasundhara Das recalls her delightful Onam experiences spent with 3 Malayali friends in Bangalore at 7.30pm in Vashyam Vasundhara; Muktayude Onam at 8.30 pm spotlights Mukta the entrepreneur who is into the beauty business in a big way in her spare time. Mikavinte Sahayathrikan is at 9pm, in which  Biju Menon romps over the memories of his courtship on the ‘amour lucky’ sets of Kamal –that had played Cupid to many star couples- and recounts how he and Samyukta Varma found it difficult to deliver their dialogues as they dissolved into laughter as soon as their eyes met. Dhanya Mary Varghese shares the secrets of her special diet, the key to her flawless complexion and picks her preference from the characters she has done so far in Dhanyayude Ponnonam at 1.30 pm

Ona Kazhcha is a captivating series in which young  actresses return for a rendezvous with their

mentors who directed their maiden ventures- Rima Kallingal gratefully acknowledges her success to Shyamaprasad’s meticulous grooming of her talent  at 8 pm on Uthradam; Ananya pays warm tributes to V.K Prakash and endorses the stamp of his influence on her acting on Avittam at 8.00pm; Kathal Sandhya swears by the merits of Sibi Malayil’s school of acting at 8 pm on Chatayam.

Providing an appetizing accompaniment, as Keralities begin their traditional Onam feast is Ona Sadya at 1.10pm every afternoon; it drops in on Praveena and Sudhesh as they whip up lip-smacking festival recipes and joins the Central  Government Food Institute at Kovalam for a full fledged  sadya. A dash of comedy winds up  Uthradam and Thiruvonam on a tangy flavor with a selection of  side splitting skits and spoofs  from the lords of comedy, in Puliyinchi at 9.30pm

By :

Smitha Sivaji

Amrita Tv