I walked in with not much of an
expectation. ‘Artificial’, ‘plastic’, ‘shallow’, ‘youthful’ were all words I
had heard in the context of this movie. Having sat through Kadal, and being a
Maniratnam fan, I knew he could not possibly sink deeper. He did not
disappoint.
The movie is breezy for the most
part. Gets right down to business within the first few minutes. Guy and girl get together. A wedding and a coffee,
and before you know it, the romance is neck deep. No
strings attached, just a live in relationship. An elderly couple inevitably and
inadvertently bring out the deep rooted love. Then the wedding bells ring. A
touch clichéd and a touch cosmetic at times. But alive.
Dulquer Salmaan might just about be
Mani’s next pet actor. Arvind Swami and Madhavan rolled into one? Maniratman
does manage to get the best out of an actor, unless you are Gautam Karthik of
course. I do hope this is not the best Dulquer can offer though. Hopefully more
challenging roles come his way in Tamil cinema and hopefully he doesn’t
disappoint. Nithya Menon surprises with her youthful energy and a wide gamut of
emotions. Prakash Raj needs no commendation. Leela Samson can’t be forgotten
either.
Not much of a plot, but it is
handled well. A straight story line with hardly a twist or surprise. You know
where the movie is headed and you are watching it just to see how it is all
going to play out. And before you know it, the happy ending leaves you light,
and fluttery.
AR Rahman and Maniratnam are made
for each other. And us. The songs are peppy. One can’t avoid humming some of
the tunes. The background score keeps it sprightful and at the same time lends
depth whenever needed. PC Sreeram should no doubt be dubbed
Photographer-Cinematographer-Sreeram. He doesn’t let us down, though I am left with the thought that his work in this movie is not as trend setting as it turned out to be in Agni Natchathiram.
Having said all of that, I also wonder if this movie really needed a Maniratnam to wield the megaphone. Except
for copyright convenience, for this movie is unmistakably a rehash of many of
his earlier movies. If the backdrop reminds you of Nayakan or Bombay, the train
scenes remind you of Alaipayuthe. If you thought the lead pair might as well
have been Karthik and Shakthi from Alaipayuthe, Arjun and Meera from Ayutha Ezhuthu might take exception to it. If
you thought the senior couple influenced a change of mind in the lead couple,
Arvind Swamy and Kushboo will claim they did nothing short of that in
Alaipayuthe. In fact, I even felt Dulquer’s dialogue delivery reminded me of
Arvind Swami in Roja and Nithya’s had shades of Shalini.
Rehash or not, and whether this movie needed a genius to direct it or not, this can be the Maniratnam U-turn that tamil cinema wants to see. OK Kanmani, more than just OK.
Rehash or not, and whether this movie needed a genius to direct it or not, this can be the Maniratnam U-turn that tamil cinema wants to see. OK Kanmani, more than just OK.
