Goodbye ‘Parasparam’, the Malayalam serial that spawned a million memes

One of the longest running daily soaps on Asianet – which itself is a remake of another long-running popular daily soap on Star Plus called Diya Aur Baati Hum – finally came to an end on August 31. When it started out, it was touted to be a tale of empowerment, a woman fulfilling her dreams with the help of her uneducated husband. But, of course, with its popularity rising, like every other ‘noble’ soap, it snowballed into something else entirely.

While the Hindi version had its moments, Parasparam was unintentionally hilarious most of the time. There was one unforgettable time the makers decided to move the story to the London. So what did they do? They framed inside a studio with a very obvious and very ridiculous wallpaper of skyscrapers in the background, as extras – once again very obviously and ridiculously – wore blonde wigs and milled around in the background. There was the other sequence when the lead couple’s – Deepthi IPS and Suraj – son demanded a baby from them!

But the show remained enormously popular in Kerala.

However, it did inspire a series at memes that went on to create a major buzz on social media. No one from Deepthi IPS’ family – her hapless husband, who always sported one expression on his face, no matter the circumstances, her melodramatic mother-in-law, pretty sorted father-in-law and scheming brother-in-law and sister-in-law – was spared by the creator of these memes.

Every time Deepthi IPS performed heroic stunts – from foiling terrorists attempting to hijack planes to encounter killings – the meme makers took it upon themselves to celebrate the episode with some more…well, memes. 

But just when it looked like Parasparam would be extended by another 1,000 episodes, the makers of the show pulled the rug out from underneath us and ended with a dramatic climax. In a bid to save thousands of lives, Suraj and Deepthi IPS sacrificed themselves in a bomb blast.

And the reactions to this have been extraordinary. From shedding happy tears to saying the show be missed to people proclaiming the couple as ‘Kerala’s bravehearts’, social media went ballistic.

Here are some of the best ones.

Deepthi says -- Why should I go to London? Let London come here. Isn't that heroism? 

Tore and stuck the images. Did the graphics become a tad too good?

Bro! I am wearing a green t-shirt and standing at London junction. Come soon. 

Translation --

Leaving us prematurely with a lot of memories,

The IPS gem who had a sense of duty and dedication,

The worst nightmare of Abu Bakr

The sweet singer of bakery shop owners

Brother’s little sister

Padvamathi’s dear daughter

The love of Suraj’s life

The undying lamp of Padippura house

Our Deepthi

With salutations made of our tears

Relatives, friends and fans

-          Sreehari Sreedharan

Aar Sangeetha Jisa Jose – not just a normal death. She swallowed a liquid bomb and ran kilometres, received the salute from the auto wallahs and the hawkers on the way, taught the Minister some manners, gave the reporters lengthy brave bytes and hugging the husband at the end and dying… she took a hour and half to do all these while the time set in the bomb was forty minutes. Hats off.

Sreehari Sreedharan -- Thousand Bakery Laddoos on Payes road offered its condolences to Suraj’s memories.

Mobin Karackattu -- This is what we Sangh workers are telling. Kerala is a country of terrorists – they just killed an IPS officer and her husband. Pinarayi Vijayan must let go of home ministry and instead TG Mohan Das or Jadilasree Pandalam Ji must be made home minister.

Sooraj Vellanchery -- Condolences. Any plans for a yatra with the ashes?

 Praphul Viswan -- Deepthi and Suraj’s twin kids' education (including IPS Coaching) must be sponsored by the government, says Opposition leader Suresh Pennithala. He also said that this was a government-made disaster and that had dams been opened earlier, such a disaster could have been avoided.