''Akkarakkaazhchakal'' (Malayalam: അക്കരക്കാഴ്ച്ചകൾ) is a

Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

Indian

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

that aired on

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment television channel owned by Kairali TV Network (Malayalam Communications Limited). It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. The channel is ...

from 2008 to 2010. The series consisted of fifty episodes which chronicled the lives of a middle-class

Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomin ...

family settled in the United States . The show was created by

Abi Varghese Abi Varghese is an Indian-American writer-director-producer who most recently directed season 2 of Eros Now's '' Metro Park''. He is best known for his Netflix series '' Brown Nation.'' He is also the co-director of ''Akkara Kazhchakal'' a Ma ...

and Ajayan Venugopalan and starred relative newcomers as the leads. The show is regarded as the first true Malayalam sitcom with real-life situations and witty dialogues minus any drama or artificiality seen in other Indian serials. The series was a refreshing break for the Malayalee audience who were fed on a staple diet of treacle-filled and unrealistic TV serials. It broke broadcasting conventions when it was uploaded into YouTube in its entirety by the show's creators. Akkarakazhchakal has enjoyed widespread popularity during its initial run as well as the subsequent years. The series has been especially commended for its realistic portrayal of real-life Malayali life, social commentary and

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

humour. Josekutty Valiyakallumkal has been widely praised for his portrayal of George Thekkinmoottil, the patriarch of the family. The show's popularity lead to a film titled Akkarakazhchakal: The Movie.

Characters

The show focuses on George Thekumoottil (Josekutty Valiyakallumkal), a struggling

insurance agent Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

. His wife Rincy (Sajini Sachariah) is a

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

who prefers a more luxurious life. While George and Rincy grew up in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, their children Matt (Febin Joseph) and Chakki mol (Felisha Joseph) were born and raised in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and prefer the American way of living. The show also features Jacob Gregory as George's

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

assistant, Giri Giri and Paulose Palatty as George's father. Other episodes follow the lives of Mahi (Hari Dev) and Babykuttan (Sanjeev Nair), two nurses who recently immigrated from

and their housemates Krish (Jayan Mathew) and Baiju (Geo Thomas), who moved in with them after losing their jobs during the IT recession. Other recurring characters include Pallilachan (Jose Paramus), a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

from the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

, Rincy's friend Shiny (Shine Roy) and Shiny's husband Jacob Embranthiri (Saji Sebastin).

Premise

George Thekkinmootil is a

from Aymanam. He moved to the U.S., after marrying Rincy who is a

working in

. Having grown up in

, he is often nostalgic and emotional about his homeland. Rincy, by contrast has accustomed to the American life, and is not bothered much by it. A

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

throughout the show is the cultural divide between George and his children. Though he is critical of their embracement of the American culture, he is a loving father and often tells them how fortunate they are to enjoy such a great life in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. At the onset of the series, George is stuck in a job that he dislikes and tries launching various businesses, all of which backfire. He finally settles down as an

after clearing the Insurance License Exam, and starts his own Insurance firm. Girigiri is George's ever-stammering insurance assistant. Even though his actual name is Gregory, George calls him "Girigiri" because of his stammering. His constant need for snacks is often criticized by George. Rincy is very fond of Girigiri and considers him like the younger brother she never had. Girigiri walks out after being irritated by Appachan, and Candy is recruited to take his place. But soon Girigiri joins back as Candy steals George's laptop & runs away and He got fired from his job. Another plot line that runs parallel to George's is Mahi and Babykuttan. They lands in the U.S. through George's cousin, who is a placement agent in

. On their very first day, they almost ended up being arrested by a cop (Richard Lampone) after the fire alarm went off because they burned an omelet. The police officer mistook their ''Puttu Kodam'', used for making Puttu, for a

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...

vaporizer Vaporizer or vaporiser may refer to: *Anesthetic vaporizer, a device used in the administration of anesthesia *Electronic cigarette, or a part of one (often called a "PV" or "personal vaporizer") *Humidifier, a household appliance that increases h ...

. There are a few episodes in which Appachan prepares

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

pickles around the grape season, and Girigiri helps him sell them in the local Indian grocery store under the brand name Appachan's Achar.

Cast

Episode list

* 10 George agrees to do Feng Shui/Vasthu in his house. * 11 Mahesh and Babykuttan try out the dating scene. * 12 Gregory discovers his hidden talent. * 13 George gets a new pet for the house. * 14 George hires a handyman. * 15 Rincy plans a trip to India. * 16 Babykuttan joins Sameway (a multi-layer marketing company). * 17 Babykuttan tries to be a Sameway Millionaire. * 18 George has a "small party" while Rincy is away. * 19 Rincy returns with Appachan. * 20 Matt grows up. * 21 George and Family gets invited to a party. * 22 Gregory resigns. * 23 Gregory's first day at

Blimpie Blimpie International, Inc., doing business as Blimpie (stylized as BLiMPiE), is an American submarine sandwich chain based in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1964, by three friends, and has since endured three ow ...

. * 24 George's new assistant. * 25 Babykuttan learns to drive. * 26 Generation Gap * 27 Mahi tries to change career. * 28 George brings a superstar home. * 29 The Candy Problem * 30 Appachan and Giri Giri's new hobby. * 31 Appachan's Krishi * 32 Appachan's Achar * 33 Omana Onam 2008 * 34 Job Search. Car Search. Wife Search. * 35 Back to School * 36 Halloween * 37 Mahi's Dilemma * 38 The Rat Problem * 39 George goes to the Doctor * 40 Black Friday * 41 Rincy's brother visits * 42 Informercial episode * 43 Christmas Episode * 44 Appachan Babysits * 45 The Love Letter * 46 Appachan's Birthday * 47 DJ KJ Episode * 48 Going back Home * 49 Babykuttan's English Tutor * 50 George buys a New Benz

Film locations

* The house of George Thekkinmootil's family is located in Englewood which is Abi Varghese's real home * Mahi and Babykuttan stay in a house that is located in North Brunswick which is Ajayan Venugopalan's real home.

Akkara Kazchakal - The Movie

Following the success of Akkara Kazhchakal, the team planned to release a movie calling it ''Akkara Kazhchakal - the movie''. The movie was released in the United States on 29 April 2011, and produced by Infamous Coconuts & BOM TV. In the film, Thekkinmootil Family decides to move Appachan and Ammachi to an old age home in Kerala. Meanwhile, between the jobs and a new insurance office, George and Rincy finds it hard to spend time with the family. With Rincy, kids and Appachan complaining about a much needed break, George finally decides to take the family on a

vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific fes ...

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...

Critical reviews

Nita Sathyendran of

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

said: "It looks like George has not only delivered on his promise but has also managed to endear himself to his viewers.". Jacob A. C. of

Mathrubhumi ''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British. The word "Mathrubhumi" translates to 'mother land'. ...

said that "The victory of Akkara Kazhchakal lies in the fact that it was able to introduce the day to day life of an Malayali-American a lighter mood."Mathrubhumi review
/ref>

Viewership

This sitcom had an estimated 80,000 weekly viewers.

Show timing

DVD releases

A DVD of Akkara Kazhchakal was released during Onam 2008 celebrations of Kerala Association of New Jersey (KANJ) by the cast members.

References

{{Reflist

External links

"Infamous Coconuts" Abi Varghese shares his inspiration for Akkara Kazhchakal

Akkara Kazhachakal at the Internet Movie Database
Indian television sitcoms 2008 Indian television series debuts 2010 Indian television series endings Malayalam-language television shows