Idhayam (2023 TV series)

Idhayam
First Season Montage
Genre	Melodrama Romance
Written by	Saravanan
Screenplay by	Saravanan
Directed by	S.N.Rajkumar B. Vinoth Kumar
Starring	Janani Ashok Kumar Richard Jose Pallavi Gowda
Music by	Karaneeswaran
Opening theme	ஏ ராசக்குருவி, அடி வெள்ளியருவி...
Country of origin	India
Original language	Tamil
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	650+
Production
Producers	Anil Sundar Guhan Manohar
Cinematography	Arjunan Karthik
Editor	Udhayachanthiran
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	20–22 minutes per episode
Production company	Rajammal Creations
Original release
Network	Zee Tamil
Release	28 August 2023 (2023-08-28) – present

Idhayam - Maranathai Vendra Kaadhal Kadhai (transl. Heart - The Love Story That Conquered Death) is an Indian-Tamil language television series started airing on Zee Tamil and streams on ZEE5 from 28 August 2023.

The first season of the series starred Janani Ashok Kumar, ^[1] Richard Jose and Annie Aaliya in the lead roles with Riya Vishwanathan and R.Shyam in the parallel lead roles with Puvi Arasu made a special appearance. ^[2] It revolves around a famous businessman Aadhi who falls in love with a small-town widow, Bharathi. It is one of the most popular feel-good series of Zee Tamil, and it's lauded by the audience for its unique and captivating storyline along with the soulful performances by the actors. The magical chemistry between Janani and Richard was widely admired by general audiences and they were the first Matinee Serial Pair on Zee Tamil to receive the 'Popular Pair' Award due to their immense popularity as Aadhi Bharathi. The first season premiered on 28 August 2023, and ended on 22 March 2025 with 640 episodes. ^[3]

The second season of the series, Idhayam - Ninaivugalaal Azhiyadha Kaadhal (transl. Heart - A love that immortalized by memories) premiered on 24 March 2025 as the continuation from the previous season with a 5-year leap. It starts with Pallavi Gowda (who replaced Janani from the previous season) with Richard J in the lead. Unfortunately, this season failed to garner the attention and popularity created by the original series. ^[4]

Series overview

Series	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	640		28 August 2023 (2023-08-28)	22 March 2025 (2025-03-22)
2	TBA		24 March 2025 (2025-03-24)	Present

Synopsis

Season 1

Aadhi is the sole heir of Saradha. He has been suffering from a heart ailment since young and requires a heart transplantation surgery to live. On his wedding day, he suffers a heart attack and is rushed to the hospital. ^[5] He miraculously survives after undergoing a heart transplantation surgery in which he received the heart from Vasu, a young man from a middle class family and Bharathi's husband, who was brain dead because of a bike accident. After receiving a new life thanks to the new heart, he undergoes a profound change in his personality. His heart becomes tender and his eyes swell with tears whenever he sees Bharathi and her daughter Tamizh. His heart begins to palpitate at every instance with their presence. ^[6] He falls in love with her without realizing it. The story is about what happens next in their lives. ^[7]

Season 2

5 Years later

5 years later Bharathi is now working in a company in which the company owner's sister happen to be Aadhi's present love and fiancee. With the turn in twist of events Bharathi gets to meet Aadhi which was never expected to happen again. Will this sudden meet join them to restart a new lease of live together or will Bharathi never forgive Aadhi for leaving them will be answered in the upcoming episodes

Cast

Season 1

Main

• Janani Ashok Kumar as Bharathi
  • Vasu's wife turned widow, Tamizh's mother and Aadhi's wife
• Richard Jose as Aadhi
  • A famous businessman, who underwent a heart transplant using Vasu's heart, Shwetha's ex fiance, Bharathi's second husband
• Annie Aaliya as Tamizharasi aka Tamizh
  • Vasu and Bharathi's daughter, Aadhi's step-daughter
• Puvi Arasu as Vasu (Dead)
  • Bharathi's first husband, who passed away due to brain death from the bike accident plotted by Arivu and his heart was transplanted to Aadhi.
• Riya Vishwanathan as Aandal
  • Bharathi's best friend and Azhagar's wife
• Shyaam as Azhagar
  • Aadhi's best friend and Aandal's husband

Aadhi's family

• Sujatha Panju as Saradha (Dead)
  • Aadhi's mother, Arivu & Bhavani's elder sister, Bharathi's mother in law
• Sankavi Rajendran as Shwetha (Antagonist)
  • Aadhi's ex fiancee, Arivu & Parvathy's daughter, Dhurai's wife
• Sasilaya as Bhavani (Main Antagonist)
  • Egamparam's wife, Anandh's mother, Aadhi's father's murderer.
• Isaac Varghese as Egamparam (Antagonist)
  • Aadhi's uncle, Bhavani's husband
• Vasanth Gopinath as Arivu (Main Antagonist)
  • Aadhi's uncle, Shwetha's father, Vasu's murderer, Dhurai's father in law
• Priyanka as Parvathy
  • Arivu's wife, Shwetha's mother, Dhurai's mother in law
• Surjith Ansary as Anandh
  • Egamparam & Bhavani's son, Aadhi & Shwetha's cousin

Bharathi and Vasu's family

• Ravi Chandran as Rathnam
  • Dhanam, Vasu and Dhurai's father, Maragatham's husband, Bharathi, Mani & Shwetha's father in law
• Agalya Saro as Maragatham (Protagonist turned Antagonist turned Protagonist)
  • Dhanam, Vasu and Dhurai's mother, Rathnam's wife, Bharathi, Mani & Shwetha's mother in law
• Vetrivel as Mani (Antagonist)
  • Rathnam & Maragatham's son-in-law, Dhanam's Husband, Vasu and Dhurai's Brother-in-law
• Sahana Chandirabal (2023) / Dheshika Jagannathan (2023-present) as Dhanam (Main Antagonist)
  • Rathnam & Maragatham's daughter, Mani's wife, Vasu and Dhurai's elder sister, Bharathi and Shwetha's sister in law
• Rajesh ^[8] as Dhurai (Antagonist)
  • Dhanam and Vasu's younger brother, Sumathi's love interest, Shwetha's husband
• Akshara as Sumathi
  • Dhurai's love interest
• Geetha as Saraswathi
  • Bharathi's mother, Tamizh's grandmother, Aadhi's mother in law
• Santhosh as Chithambaram
  • Bharathi's father, Tamizh's grandfather, Aadhi's father in law

Aandal's family

• Parthiban as Dharmalingam (Main Antagonist)
  • Aandal's father
• Rajeshwari as Kalaivani
  • Aandal 's mother
• A. Revathi as Aandal's grandmother
• Vidhya as Vidya
  • Aandal's sister

Azhagar's family

• Pushpa as Lakshmi
  • Azhagar's mother
• Rohit Ved as Azhagar's father
• Nisha as Azhagar's cousin sister

Others

• Ayesha Zeenath as Sathya / Soumya
  • Aadhi's friend, who poses as Aadhi's lover in front of Bharathi (Cameo)
• Karuna Vilasini as Raani
  • Tamizh's caretaker appointed by Aadhi
• Vishwanathan as Sekar
  • Vasu's friend
• Dhachayani as Latha
  • Bharathi's best friend and colleague, Keshav's wife
• Arun Padmanabhan as Saravanan
  • Aadhi's friend
• Abhinash Ganapathi as Pandi
• Santhosh as Keshav
  • Aadhi's best friend and personal secretary, Latha's husband.
• Sana as Nisha
  • Mithra's best friend; Aadhi's colleague and friend
• Farina Azad as Mithra
  • Nisha's best friend; Aadhi's colleague and obsessive one-sided girlfriend (Cameo)

Season 2

Main

• Pallavi Gowda as Bharathi
  • Vasu's wife turned widow, Tamizh and Jr.Aadhi's mother and Aadhi's wife
    • Janani Ashok Kumar as Bharathi (Cameo) ^[9]
• Richard Jose as Aadhi
  • A famous businessman, who underwent a heart transplant using Vasu's heart, Shwetha's ex fiance, Bharathi's second husband; Tamizh's stepfather; Jr.Aadhi's father
• Annie Aaliya as Tamizharasi aka Tamizh
  • Vasu and Bharathi's daughter, Aadhi's step-daughter, Jr.Aadhi's half-sister
• Master Sarvesh as Aaditya alias Jr.Aadhi
  • Bharathi and Aadhi's son; Tamizh's half-brother

Supporting

• Farina Azad / Subbalakshmi Rangan as Mithra (Main Antagonist)
  • Aadhi's colleague and obsessive one-sided girlfriend
• Rajeshwari as Kalaivani, Aandal 's mother
• A. Revathi as Aandal's grandmother
• Sree Priya as Abi

Special Appearances

• Arun Muthuswamy as Arun
• Sana as Nisha
  • Mithra's best friend; Aadhi's colleague (Cameo)
• Vaishnavi Arulmozhi as Veera
• Malavika Avinash as Muthulakshmi
• Vanitha Vijayakumar as Saroja

Production

Season 1

Janani Ashok Kumar, a popular known face ^[10] made her first female lead role in television. She also marks her return after Sembaruthi in Zee Tamil. ^[11] Malayalam actor Richard Jose was cast as the male lead, making this his Tamil debut. Sujatha Panju was roped for an important role as Aadhi's mother and Puvi was cast as Vasu in a cameo role. ^[12]

Season 2

In the end of March 2025, a five-year leap was introduced, bringing several new characters into the show who became pivotal. Actress Pallavi Gowda ^[13] was introduced as new Female lead replaced Janani, ^[14] in the five-year leap, playing Bharathi. Actress Farina Azad was cast as Aadhi's colleague and obsessive one-sided girlfriend, ^[15] but in end of June she quit the series, ^[16] and it was replaced by actress Subbalakshmi Rangan. ^[17]

Actor Arun Muthuswamy was cast as Arun in special Appearances. ^[18] In end of July 2025, actress Malavika Avinash was cast as special Appearance. ^[19]

Release

The first promo was released on 6 August 2023 featuring Janani Ashok Kumar, Richard Jose and Puvi Arasu, depicting the story with a song and revealing the leads. ^[20] The second promo was unveiled on 17 August 2023, featuring protagonists Richard Jose and Janani Ashok Kumar, also revealing the release date and time. ^[21]

It began airing on Zee Tamil on afternoon slot at 02:00PM. ^{[22] [23]} In Singapore & Malaysia, Idhayam airs at 9.30pm SGT and 10.00pm MYT respectively.

References

1. "ஜீ தமிழில் வருகிறது அடுத்த பீல் குட் சீரியல் : கம்பேக் குடுக்கும் செம்பருத்தி நடிகை". The Times of India (in Tamil).
2. "New Zee Tamil TV serial 'Idhayam' from 28 August 2023". The Times of India . 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
3. "New Zee Tamil TV serial 'Idhayam' from 28 August 2023". The Times of India . 27 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
4. "Richard Jose starrer 'Idhayam 2' to launch soon". The Times of India . 9 March 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
5. "வாசுவை அடித்து தூக்கிய கார், திருமண மேடையில் ஆதிக்கு அட்டாக் - ஆரம்பமே விறுவிறுப்பு". zeenews.india.com (in Tamil). 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
6. "பாரதிக்கு அதிர்ச்சி கொடுக்கும் ரத்னம்.. இதயம் சீரியலில் இன்றைய எபிசோடில் நடப்பது என்ன?". tamil.abplive.com (in Tamil). 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
7. Tamil, Hindu (23 August 2023). "ஜீ தமிழில் 'இதயம்' ஆக.28 முதல் ஒளிபரப்பாகிறது". www.hindutamil.in (in Tamil). Retrieved 23 August 2023.
8. "Television actor Rajesh joins the cast of Idhayam". The Times of India . 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
9. "இதயம் தொடரிலிருந்து விலகும் ஜனனி! காரணம் பகிர்ந்து உருக்கம்!". 17 March 2025.
10. "Popular actress Janani Ashok Kumar to play the titular role in upcoming show 'Idhayam'". The Times of India . 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
11. "மௌனராகம் தொடரின் நடிகையின் புதிய தொடர்". www.dinamani.com (in Tamil). 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
12. "New TV serial 'Idhayam' to launch soon". The Times of India . 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
13. "Actress Pallavi Gowda joins the cast of Idhayam 2". The Times of India . 27 March 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
14. "Janani Ashok Kumar quits Tamil daily soap 'Idhayam'". The Times of India . 17 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
15. "Zee Tamil announces Idhayam Serial with new Cast! Read More for Details". www.southmoviez.com. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
16. "Actress Farina Azad quits Tamil daily soap 'Idhayam'". The Times of India . 29 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
17. "'Thirumathi Hitler' fame Subalakshmi Rangan joins the cast of 'Idhayam'". The Times of India . 29 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
18. "Veera actor Arun Muthuswamy joins the cast of upcoming Tamil serial Idhayam 2". The Times of India . 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
19. "Actress Malavika Avinash makes a special appearance in 'Idhayam 2'". The Times of India . 30 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
20. Idhayam serial. Idhayam Serial Promo | Zee Tamil.
21. Idhayam serial. Idhayam Serial Promo 2 | Zee Tamil.
22. "ஆகஸ்ட் 28 முதல் ஜீ தமிழில் வெளியாகும் புதிய சீரியல் 'இதயம்'!". tamil.news18.com (in Tamil). 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
23. "ஆகஸ்ட் 28 முதல் 'இதயம்' சீரியல்.. ஜீ தமிழ் வெளியிட்ட அறிவிப்பு". www.indiaglitz.com (in Tamil). Retrieved 22 August 2023.

External links

• Idhayam at IMDb
• Idhayam at ZEE5