Mani Ratnam’s idea of romance
has always ensured a sweet smell of freshness, the most vivacious colours of
passion and an engaging contemporary space building up in relationships. Meanwhile,
you can also argue on his obsession with the clichés but with a nice and easy twist
to it. And that could be anything ranging from social disparity to political
turmoil and even mix-ups in its tiniest form! The master’s latest O KADHAL
KANMANI is no exception. The breezy romance brings back the charm of Mani Saar’s
own successful romantic drama ALAIPAYUTHEY so much that you could even re-coined
its title to ALAIPAYUTHEY 2.0 […comes from its main lead, a game-developer]; if
not in every sense, in the looks and clichés for sure.
O KADHAL KANMANI sees two
beautiful love-stories at parallel tracks. One being the supporting addition to
the plot is obviously less explored but I would love to take it from their
perspective. Ganpathy [Prakash Raj] lives with his loving wife Bhavani [Leela
Samson], a known Carnatic singer suffering from Alzheimer. The unconditional love
can be smelled through both; Ganpathy’s unflinching affection and care for
Bhavani and Bhavani’s teasing one-liners taking her husband for a ride. The other
couple in question happens to be the lighthearted, relaxed and blithe paying-guest
at Ganpathy’s, Adi [Dulquer Salmaan] and his career-oriented girlfriend Tara
[Nithya Menen]. Together, they opt for a live-in relationship as both don’t
want to lose the spotlight of the brightest career ahead. But soon; the
families get involved and though for a change, they are in complete support, the
couple is still finding their ways to find love. Can Ganpathy and Bhavani help?
It’s been exactly 14 years
and 3 days since ALAIPAYUTHEY hit the cinemas and made itself a rage amongst
young generation. The similarities between two are amazingly coincidental till
Mani saar himself comes with an explanation. There are already roundups on
social media drawing a conclusion from how Madhvan’s & Shalini’s characters
in ALAIPAYUTHEY have taken a leap and are back as Ganapathy and Bhavani. There are
song-sequences having rhythmic feel and shot-selections of the same prototype,
still the film manages to keep a constant smile on your face even in its dull
moments. The credit mostly goes to the magical characters Mani Ratnam brings on
screen. Each one from both the love-stories is extremely watchable, but Prakash
Raj is exceptional. His performances like this are a kind of pay off for all
the hammy ones in Bollywood’s masala rip-offs.
A R Rehman’s peppy, perky
and fast-beat tunes are good and catchy. P C Sriram plays beautifully with dynamic
colors, moody shadows and lights coming through painted shades. With a couple
that doesn’t have faith in full swings in marriages and looks promising at
first with their focused career-choices, Mani Ratnam does ignite some kind of
high hopes to see a coming-of-age romantic film; especially in one of the
earlier scenes where Adi and Tara discuss the aftereffects of marriage that too
when their best friend is taking wedding-vows at the church. But the film soon
gets trapped in clichés and loses the steam.
Overall, O KADHAL KANMANI is a sweet and cute romantic film you can take your girlfriend to, no matter how badly you want to marry her or how awfully not. Watch out for the Prakash Raj-Leela Samson track as they will never leave you even after coming back from the theater. And I too want to believe they are the Madhvan-Shalini, now in their 60’s! It’s more gratifying than the whole film! [2.5/5]
Overall, O KADHAL KANMANI is a sweet and cute romantic film you can take your girlfriend to, no matter how badly you want to marry her or how awfully not. Watch out for the Prakash Raj-Leela Samson track as they will never leave you even after coming back from the theater. And I too want to believe they are the Madhvan-Shalini, now in their 60’s! It’s more gratifying than the whole film! [2.5/5]
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