Sweet, Karam and coffee are all different yet intriguing flavours that many people crave, right? And occasionally, everything comes together so that you may have a wonderful meal. The brand-new web series in Tamil named Sweet Karam Coffee was released on Amazon Prime, created by Reshma Ghatala and directed by Swathi Raghuraaman, Bejoy Nambiar and Krishna Marimuthu is no different except that it’s about women who crave different things in different points of their life.
A tale of three women from different generations who set out to discover and delve into the multi-layered and complicated world of freedom for a short period of time. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” This is their journey towards self-realisation and empowerment, to find answers to the questions that were unasked.
A tale of three women from different generations who set out to discover and delve into the multi-layered world of freedom for a short period of time. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” This is their journey towards self-realisation and empowerment, to find answers to the questions that were unasked.
To some, freedom is coming out of a boxed life in the four corners of the house, for some, it is about doing what they love in life, and for some maybe it’s all about finding the right companion for their life. For some, it’s all of these. Though we have many series and movies talking about women’s freedom, women and their issues, what makes Sweet Karam Coffee distinct is that the plot itself has a breezy nature of storytelling showcasing how freedom is not just about finding what you want, it is also about making mistakes and learning from that to understand oneself better. It also talks about how a judgemental free society plays a major role in shaping one’s attitude towards many aspects of life. The series is also brave, in a way, to question and attempt to break the stereotypes existing in society even in the year 2023.
Be it not blindly following society’s beauty standards, being open about their sexual needs and wants, wanting a companion in life, not wanting a companion in life, pursuing unconventional career paths, falling in love, falling out of love and the list goes on.
What is the journey about?
Niveditha aka Nivi, is an ambitious cricketer (Santhy Balachandran), her mother Kaveri Rajaratnam (Madhoo, the ecstatic Roja from the movie Roja), who devoted all her life to being a “good” daughter, wife and mother to her family and grandmother Sundari Chandrasekharan (veteran actor Lakshmi), who was monitored by her husband and now after the death of her husband monitored by her son, decide to get out of their house and head on a road trip to Goa, in order to put themselves ahead of all the people and situations that they are bound by, to feel the breeze on their cheek, to enjoy food and to explore the world differently.
Each of them has their own triggers behind the impulsive decision to take a road trip in the middle of the night. They also uphold a degree of strangeness with each other in their bond when they start the trip, but eventually, they break that wall of unfamiliarity through a friendship that is deep-rooted in womanhood and love.
For many, all these could be far-fetched little joys in life, and this series shows how three women who have lived under the same roof for years bond closely with each other and stop regretting their past and getting anxious about the future and focus on what is in the moment.
Nevertheless, the series is focused on capturing the changing world around us and making the journey towards self-realisation with the many characters. People often go on trips to liberate their souls and take a break, right? But have you ever thought about a trip with your ‘paati’? Have you ever sat behind the scooter amazed at your mother’s driving? Ever gone in search of your loved one’s happiness that was lost long back? Ever know about your grandmother’s driving skills? Ever had an inside joke with your mother-in-law and talked about sex? Ever talked about relationships and dreams with your daughter without any filter? Ever felt like crying to your daughter-in-law without any inhibitions?
For many, all these could be far-fetched little joys in life, and this series shows how three women who have lived under the same roof for years bond closely with each other and stop regretting their past and getting anxious about the future and focus on what is in the moment.
‘Sweet Karam Coffee’: An emotional treat resembling life itself
Sometimes you can go in search of the what-if button in life, sometimes you can let your life take you by surprise but what if you are caught in between? The series unveils thoughts like these in its own beautiful way. The three actresses, the three different women, the three different generations, all these are blended enough to make every audience think about the women they are or the women in their life and their own journey at least once as you watch it.
The 8-episode worth watching Sweet Karam Coffee is a baby of multiple writers including the co-director and creator: Swathi Raghuraaman and Reshma Ghatala. Govind Vasantha has packed it with music and background which elevates the emotions to another level with his magical touch throughout the series for the audience to have an emotional familiarity with each character. Be it a simple dining area conversation to the scenic shots of places throughout the trip, the cinematographers captured each and every shot, bringing the mood to the table, for the viewers to relish.
Rajaratnam, the male head of the family, is the stereotypical man who thinks he is “giving” much freedom and happiness to the women in the family, representing the very familiar male figure we have been seeing in our society. All he wants is for the women in his family to be at home “safe” and cook food. He assumes their happiness based on this.
Rajaratnam, the male head of the family, is the stereotypical man who thinks he is “giving” much freedom and happiness to the women in the family, representing the very familiar male figure we have been seeing in our society. All he wants is for the women in his family to be at home “safe” and cook food. He assumes their happiness based on this.
As the story progresses and when the cricketer Nivi goes through a breakup struggling to find out a balance between her ambition and love life, Sundari, the free-spirited paati with her own norms finally embraces the life she wanted to live in search of someone she lost in the past, Kaveri, who believed her world was just her house with many members yet empty breaking the box of a good woman’s life, we see how all of them embrace the life they wanted to live, the women they are and we also finally see the sense of realisation in the men who are at home including the son to understand the value of the word freedom and how they were not understanding enough to make their home a home.
Life always does not take us to where we wanted, there will be different directions in between, many twists and turns, meeting new people, and letting go of many people, the car journey they take is also similar to their life, will they reach Goa or is there something waiting for them in the journey? Are they finding the answers to their questions in life? Too many questions with too many answers and one journey! Yes.
With that said, if you ask why a topic like the voyage of quest that has been spoken before was put in a different vase to the audience, this is a topic that has to be spoken over and over again until we all learn to work towards a better world, finding what is best for ourselves at different points in life? Supporting women to voice their needs, to live a life that one owes to themselves, finding answers to every question raging in our hearts. Just like a simple Sweet, Karam or Coffee?
Whatever it might be, let there be a world that serves everything equally.
