To start off, this movie is definitely worth a watch at least once. It's an interesting character study by Mani Ratnam (MR)attempted in indian cinema. While it could've dealt with it's issues better, and the issues it explores, it is an all around amazing movie. Here's why:
1. Cinematography - If there's one thing MR's movies are known for, it's their incredible cinematography. This collab. with Ravi Varman excels in the best way possible. From Alaipayuthey to Raavanan, this movie easily ranks amongst the top. From the glorious shots of Aditi in the snow to the backdrop of the Kargil War, this is one place the movie excels. The movie is worth watching for its cinematography alone. Ravi Varman does an incredible job!
2. Direction - It's a Mani Ratnam movie, has all the MR bells and whistles. Does an incredible job with the direction of the movie, amazing set pieces, spectacular production values. MR does it again!
3. Music - AR Rahman does a bang-up job of creating a bgm that is bound to stick in your heads. Music that is both hauntingly beautiful (Nallai Allai) to a catchy pop song (Azhagiye) to something you'll hear at weddings. (Saarattu Vandiyile). It demonstrates the range and maturity of AR Rahman's career to this point.The lyrics by Vairamuthu is also haunting and beautiful.
4. Characters - As compared to a lot of their previous movies, both actors do an incredible job at fleshing out their characters. However the spotlight has to go to Aditi Rao Hydari. She managed to portray the nuances of her character while maintaining a grounded, steady performance. While Karthi does a great job at portraying his character, where he excels in making us despise him (Due to the abusive nature of the protagonist) he does not in making us care for him. However, I believe this is to be more of a character development problem.
You see, to create two nuanced and very human characters, it takes a lot to portray them in a way that makes us care for them significantly. While the movie juggles a lot of things well, it fails to ask the question "Can the audience relate to this character?". Karthi who portrays VC, is a flawed character which is developed well to make us hate him, but does not to make us care for him. Do we even feel the remorse of the character in the end? Probably not. While Mani Ratnam is known for creating strong, independent and headstrong female lead characters,Leela Abraham, unfortunately, is not one of them.
5. Story - The film extrapolates a relationship, from start to finish. It's a love story. It's a flawed love story. If it were to bring about any type of reaction from the audience, I think it's a successful love story. While the movie deals with a very touchy and often normalized issue in society, it could've been done so much better. While the film tries to tackle the subject head on, it's in one key area that stood out - for a thoroughly "realistic" movie, in its climatic scene where it showed VC being a changed person meeting his daughter, it's unlikely that this is representative of real life. While I understand the director's intentions is to show that yes- people can change, it's rarely ever the case. The way Leela is an intelligent doctor, a self-made woman, independent and headstrong yet falters to VC - your typical bad boy with an abusive persona, infuriates me. However it is representative of real life, there are so many women out there who are scared to leave their abusive partners, but that's a part of the human condition, no? To be unable to leave the chains that bind us in the first place. I only hoped that, Leela left VC in search for someone better, because she deserved better.
Could not care less for the Kargil War - while i sympathize with the lives lost, this is one noticeable key area where the movie does not make me give a damn, at all.
6. Dialogue - Sometimes cheesy, sometimes very cringey. Mostly okay.
Final Thoughts - A movie that tries to tackle many important subject topics, but falls short on a few. It's a good attempt, that almost hits the mark, but not quite. Mani Ratnam attempts to explore a very controversial subject, while it could have been done better - this hopefully inspires movie creators to be more daring in their approach of tackling important subject issues - Feminism, Domestic Abuse and etc. Which Indian Cinema, ever so often, glorifies.
While the movie does not cement itself as a classic or or bears the mark of a veteran filmmaker, it's definitely worth a watch.
1. Cinematography - If there's one thing MR's movies are known for, it's their incredible cinematography. This collab. with Ravi Varman excels in the best way possible. From Alaipayuthey to Raavanan, this movie easily ranks amongst the top. From the glorious shots of Aditi in the snow to the backdrop of the Kargil War, this is one place the movie excels. The movie is worth watching for its cinematography alone. Ravi Varman does an incredible job!
2. Direction - It's a Mani Ratnam movie, has all the MR bells and whistles. Does an incredible job with the direction of the movie, amazing set pieces, spectacular production values. MR does it again!
3. Music - AR Rahman does a bang-up job of creating a bgm that is bound to stick in your heads. Music that is both hauntingly beautiful (Nallai Allai) to a catchy pop song (Azhagiye) to something you'll hear at weddings. (Saarattu Vandiyile). It demonstrates the range and maturity of AR Rahman's career to this point.The lyrics by Vairamuthu is also haunting and beautiful.
4. Characters - As compared to a lot of their previous movies, both actors do an incredible job at fleshing out their characters. However the spotlight has to go to Aditi Rao Hydari. She managed to portray the nuances of her character while maintaining a grounded, steady performance. While Karthi does a great job at portraying his character, where he excels in making us despise him (Due to the abusive nature of the protagonist) he does not in making us care for him. However, I believe this is to be more of a character development problem.
You see, to create two nuanced and very human characters, it takes a lot to portray them in a way that makes us care for them significantly. While the movie juggles a lot of things well, it fails to ask the question "Can the audience relate to this character?". Karthi who portrays VC, is a flawed character which is developed well to make us hate him, but does not to make us care for him. Do we even feel the remorse of the character in the end? Probably not. While Mani Ratnam is known for creating strong, independent and headstrong female lead characters,Leela Abraham, unfortunately, is not one of them.
5. Story - The film extrapolates a relationship, from start to finish. It's a love story. It's a flawed love story. If it were to bring about any type of reaction from the audience, I think it's a successful love story. While the movie deals with a very touchy and often normalized issue in society, it could've been done so much better. While the film tries to tackle the subject head on, it's in one key area that stood out - for a thoroughly "realistic" movie, in its climatic scene where it showed VC being a changed person meeting his daughter, it's unlikely that this is representative of real life. While I understand the director's intentions is to show that yes- people can change, it's rarely ever the case. The way Leela is an intelligent doctor, a self-made woman, independent and headstrong yet falters to VC - your typical bad boy with an abusive persona, infuriates me. However it is representative of real life, there are so many women out there who are scared to leave their abusive partners, but that's a part of the human condition, no? To be unable to leave the chains that bind us in the first place. I only hoped that, Leela left VC in search for someone better, because she deserved better.
Could not care less for the Kargil War - while i sympathize with the lives lost, this is one noticeable key area where the movie does not make me give a damn, at all.
6. Dialogue - Sometimes cheesy, sometimes very cringey. Mostly okay.
Final Thoughts - A movie that tries to tackle many important subject topics, but falls short on a few. It's a good attempt, that almost hits the mark, but not quite. Mani Ratnam attempts to explore a very controversial subject, while it could have been done better - this hopefully inspires movie creators to be more daring in their approach of tackling important subject issues - Feminism, Domestic Abuse and etc. Which Indian Cinema, ever so often, glorifies.
While the movie does not cement itself as a classic or or bears the mark of a veteran filmmaker, it's definitely worth a watch.