Accidental Farmer & Co: Vaibhav and Ramya Pandian's comedy series has an interesting plot, but is funny only in parts​

2.5/5

An carefree and lazy young man turns into an accidental farmer and begins to grow a mysterious herb. Will the 'miracle' plant turn his life around?
Review: Director Sugan Jay's The Accidental Farmer & Co is just like its protagonist, Chellakannu (Vaibhav). It's a tad slow and takes time to get the story rolling. The eight-part series is set in the backdrop of a village called 'Manmadha Gramam' . The story of the village is narrated through its postman (Badava Gopi), whose name is not revealed till the end, just like his love interest Nalama Ka (Vinodhini Vaidyanathan).

The protagonist Chellakannu is a good-for-nothing, carefree and lazy young man who squirms at the word 'work' but dreams of going to Finland! His laziness is so popular in the village that they fondly address him as 'Sellaadha' Kannu. But when his grandfather passes away and bequeaths his 8-acre land and his house to Chellakannu, he has to step in to protect the land. Circumstances force him to finally sweat it out and turn a farmer, which of course, is by accident. And when he discovers a miraculous herb in his land, things take a different turn altogether. Will the herb turn his life around?

The Accidental Farmer & Co is teeming with a bunch of quirky characters- be it the bizarre old farmer Engaalu, who never keeps his promise; Durai, who calls himself Chella's friend but constantly bets that he will not succeed in his endeavors, the school boy Sevala, who is in love with his teacher and the eccentric doctor, who tests his 'naturopathy' products on himself and goes into a deep slumber for days, courtesy their effect. Ramya Pandian's character is the only one who appears a tad sensible amid all the 'innocent characters'.

Chellakannu comes across as an innocent man, who is so reluctant to work that he would rather sell off the land than use it for agriculture. We get at a peek of it in the beginning of the show itself when he puts a burning tyre in his house so that people open the door of his house and when he refuses to pick a pot after a lady with backpain drops it.

It reminds you of ace comedian Vadivelu's character where he challenges a man to stay idle for an hour and proves how difficult it is to not do anything. The best part about the show is that all the supporting characters are etched well and they all contribute to the goings-on in the story. And towards the end, when the Narcotics Bureau and a drug mafia get into the picture, it becomes all the more absurd. All the actors have come up with a nuanced performance.

There are some scenes that are hysterical, for example the one where Sevala reads out the names of drugs from the book at the doctor's place, the scene where each one has an agenda with the profit from the farm and when the farmers are busted by the Narcotics Bureau. The series is a good attempt at providing a quirky story with a bunch of quirkier characters, but when it comes to providing overall comic relief, it works only in parts. Some of the scenes seem a tad stretched out, like the one where daily wage workers assemble day after day without work and where patients line up outside the doctor's tent. Though the show may not work for repeated viewing, it definitely makes of a one-time watch.

Verdict: A weekend binge watch that hilarious in parts