\u201cIf you want me to tell a story, I can tell one for 11 years,\u201d laughs television director Anil Kumar referring to his Telugu serial Manasu Mamatha, <\/i> which ran successfully on Eenadu Television (ETV) for 11 years! Now, the 73-year-old gears up to tell a new story with his daily serial Vasantha Kokila <\/i>on the same channel. <\/p>\n \nAnil Kumar\u00a0 <\/div>\n The story revolves around Sandhya (Padma Laksha Setty) a working woman who shares a special bond with her in-laws. Her husband, an army officer, is believed to have been killed during an operation,\u201d says Anil, who has also penned the story. While Sandhya\u2019s in-laws want her to remarry, she opposes the idea but eventually relents. The story takes a twist after her second marriage, when Sandhya\u2019s first husband, presumed dead, returns to their lives. The title, he says, is a metaphor for the void in Sandhya\u2019s life. \u201cKokila <\/i>(koel) sings only in Vasantam <\/i>(spring) and the protagonist Sandhya too waits for the season to add a new colour to her life.\u201d<\/p>\n While such stories have been created on screen more than once, the director believes that honesty in his screenplay and an army background make for a good watch and evoke patriotic fervour. He says, \u201cVasantha Kokila <\/i>has no negative characters; there are no villains in the serial. Adverse circumstances play the negative role.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u2018Manasu Mamatha\u2019 serial ran for 11 years <\/div>\n Anil worked for 10 years as an associate and co-director in Chennai in the 70s. He directed his first Telugu feature film Ooha Sundari <\/i>in 1984, followed by Anuraga Bandham, Anaadiga Aadadi <\/i>and Bangaru Chiluka<\/i>. His other notable films include Punya Dampatulu, Parama Sivudu, Donga Rascal <\/i>and his latest film Gamyam, <\/i>starring actor Srikanth. <\/p>\n The 13-episode serial Wonder Boy, <\/i>his debut on television, was a \u2018learning experience\u2019. \u201cDirection techniques were the same but the screen size changed and so did the screenplay.\u201d In his 30-year television career, Anil has directed eight serials including Antharangalu, Vidhi, Padmavyuham, Thurpu Velle Railu, Pelli Pustakam <\/i>and the ongoing Rangula Ratnam. <\/i> Each one had different storylines and ran for more than 750 episodes. Manasu manmatha<\/i> proved to be a milestone with multiple storylines depicted over 3,350 episodes. <\/p>\n \nRangula Ratnam <\/div>\n While his stint as an assistant to writer Satyanand boosted his storytelling skills, the family as a unit has been a constant theme of his serials. He attributes this to growing up in a middle-class household and a passion for telling stories to different kinds of audiences. \u201cTV Vasantha Kokila airs on ETV Telugu daily, at 1.30 pm. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\nMetaphoric title <\/h4>\n
![\"Anil](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/cruazr\/article68362911.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/kokila1.jpg\" "\\"Anil")
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![\"\u2018Manasu](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/8gha8w\/article68362914.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/kokila2.jpg\" "\\"\u2018Manasu")
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/theme\/images\/th-online\/1x1_spacer.png\" "\\"A"){kind=spacer}
<\/picture><\/div>\n\nA scene from \u2018Vasantha Kokila\u2019\u00a0
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