Actor Radikaa has been the undisputed queen of Tamil soaps since the early 2000s, ever since we first saw her on TV as the one and only ‘Chithi’. Television’s prime time (9.30 pm) slot has been exclusive to Radikaa since then and with an increasing fan base, it only seemed natural for the actor to continue in this spot.
Therefore the news from the actor herself that her present 9.30 pm show, an extravagant historical drama and one of Tamil soap’s highest budget ventures, Chandrakumari, will be moved to an earlier time in the evening at 6.30 pm came as a shocker.
Now, the actor tells TNM that she will not be acting in Chandrakumari any more.
“The show will go on but I won’t continue in Chandrakumari, as I have taken up film assignments,” she says.
Radikaa on March 9, tweeted that after having entertained fans for 3430 hours on television and appearing in 6850 episodes, she’d be taking her much-needed break for a couple of months. She promised to return in a new “avatar” in June this year.
I have acted in 6850 episodes till today, that is 3430 hours only in television, proud to be the only actress to have done it. I am taking a short break for 2 months , a well deserved one. Back in June 9.30pm on #SunTV in a new avatar. Thanks for the immense love.
— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) March 9, 2019
The tweets that poured in from fans ranged from disappointment to heartbreak with some promising to wait patiently until she returned.
@realradikaa Mis you maOur Television Queen9.30 வந்தாலே உங்க சீரியல் அப்படினு பழக்கப்படுத்திகலமா அதுவே எங்களோட வழக்கமாமாறிடுச்சு
— Nila(Kalaiyarasi Radikaama Follower) (@Nila2719) March 17, 2019
நீங்க இல்லாத சீரியல யோசிக்க முடியலஆனால் புத்துணர்ச்சியோடும் புதுப்பொலிவோடும் 2 மாதம் கழித்துவரும்உங்களுக்காக இப்போதிருந்தேகாத்திட்டுப்போம் pic.twitter.com/J2qk0HrbbS
Today episode சந்திராம்மாவுக்கு ஒன்னும் ஆகாகூடாது
— Gowthami (@GowthamiKarthi3) March 16, 2019
அடுத்து என்ன நடக்க போகுது என்ற படபடப்பு துடிதுடிப்பு
ரொம்ப Miss panuvom 9.30ku #radhima va pic.twitter.com/gCD7GDXGKU
#Chandrakumari 2day vyy heartbreakingepi really missing 9.30 slot we are all waiting for ur new entry in 9.30 slot #Radimaa hats off maaur achievement is history of small screen maa really proud u are a queen of small screen pic.twitter.com/oeMIEDRRa5
— Amalaa Samuel (Kalaiyarasi Radimaa) (@Amalaasam21) March 16, 2019
@realradikaa radhimaa we will be miss u maa 9.30pmChandra maa in danger unextd episode today maa.we waiting Monday episode... pic.twitter.com/U6EMpwMrfk
— @UMAA DEVI 1992@ (@real_devi92) March 16, 2019
Radikaa, however, tells TNM that the kind of response she has been seeing at her Radaan office is even more overwhelming. “So many people drop into my office, crying. We’ve been receiving so many calls that we’re just not able to do anything other than route them to the Sun TV office. It has been very humbling on the whole. You don’t really think of all this when you’re working,” says the actor.
Thank you all for the love, it was so humbling this last week to see so many people from all walks of life coming to the office,location sending mails &calling the office. Thank you , will be back soon
— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) March 17, 2019
Explaining that her decision to take a much-needed break has been timed with the IPL season that’s bound to keep fans engaged otherwise, Radikaa adds that the channel too was doing a “lot of changes” to its programmes.
“I decided to take a break anyway,” she tells us. This is quite understandable given that that actor has signed up new films - Mr Local with Sivakarthikeyan and Nayanthara, Market Raj’s MBBS with Aarav, and her return to Kannanda in Yuva Rathna after a gap of 3 decades, to name a few.
Interestingly, Sun TV has rescheduled Khushboo’s Lakshmi Stores, another drama that began airing shortly after Radikaa’s Chandrakumari. The actor in addition to playing its lead also produces it.
The channel has also shifted another midday serial Roja, perhaps based on popular response, to a prime evening spot apart from adding a new show titled Nila to its list of daytime soaps.
Radikaa, while claiming that she is not aware of the reason behind the channel’s idea to reorganise the soaps, tells us that the decision was mutual.
“With the IPL season there are usually such changes. I will be back with a new show after the games,” she concludes.