Vinaithaandi Varuvaaya - Love and Love Only!

There is a moment in "Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya" when the heroine Jessie (Trisha) looks at the admiring hero Karthik (Simbu) and says, "I was thinking about you and wanted to see you. And, here you are!" It is part of a magical scene set in the middle of the night that's wonderfully written, well acted (especially by Simbu) and superbly photographed. If this scene works for you, then I can guarantee that this movie itself will work for you. This is a romance in its purest form. Just like "Raja Paarvai" and "Idhayathai Thirudaathey" this is a movie that recognizes that a love story will work as long as the Director feels comfortable leaving the audience in the company of just the lead pair as the romance unfolds on screen.



The movie's first half involves scenes of Karthik (an assistant director who hardly seems interested in his work!) falling head over heels in love with Jessie and expressing it to her in no uncertain terms! While Karthik's love for Jessie is pure, genuine and completely uninhibited, Jessie is a complicated person who is indecision personified. She is someone who will invite the guy to a movie-and-dinner date and yet tell him repeatedly that she wished he wouldn't woo her so persistently! Gowtham does a fantastic job as a writer, sharply etching the two diverse characters, sneakily setting the stage for the drama of the second half. Something happens around the intermission point which I will not reveal but the scene that I mentioned at the beginning of the review contains lines that not only highlight the love that Jessie and Karthik share but also her dilemma.

Usually movies where parents (in this case, Jessie's) object to a romance handle this part in dramatic fashion making them unreasonable villains whom we detest. But the only objective of the heroine would be to succeed in her love. But as I mentioned earlier, Jessie, as written by Gowtham, is a complex individual whose struggles between practicality and dreaminess mean that the romance will not always take the front seat. Gowtham narrates the story through Karthik's point of view which means that we understand all of his feelings and completely empathize with him as tries to comprehend Jessie. So, by the end of the movie, we completely understand the two characters, their behaviors and more importantly, their motivations.

But I had some minor quibbles. Having established the two characters by the intermission point, Gowtham loses focus for a while in the second half. So, the scenes begin to feel repetitive, the songs unnecessary and the screenplay meandering. Simbu's scenes as an assistant director (KS Ravikumar appears in a cameo here) are also handled in a very perfunctory, unconvincing manner. But the movie gets back on track with a dramatic revelation that's handled in a very mature, understated manner. What happens in the final few scenes is unforgettable as Gowtham's screenplay and sparkling dialogues are given tremendous impetus by the actors.

Simbu comes up with an excellent performance that is his most mature portrayal till date. He plays the romantic scenes in the first half with a delightfully carefree approach. His comic timing in some scenes (like the way he asks, "Biriyani irukaa?" at Kentucky Fried Chicken!) is pitch perfect. And, the fine, subtle actor in him comes to the forefront in the climactic portions which work largely due to his performance. Trisha, while not as good as Simbu, handles her complex role well. Hers is clearly the more complicated of the two characters and while she doesn't add too much to what was on paper, she doesn't let Gowtham down either. Ganesh has a fun time (so do we!) having some choice comments for Simbu as the latter relentlessly pursues his girl.

Production values are top notch. AR Rehman comes with a memorable soundtrack, with "Hosanna" and "Omana Penney" being the most foot tapping numbers. And, the cinematographer Manoj gives us some unforgettable visuals, his camera being in love with the scenic settings, especially in the song sequences. Nalini Sriram's costumes are very elegant, be it Trisha's sarees or Simbu's outfits in the songs. But as with any good romance, they are all merely effective supporting acts for what is essentially a film about the lead pair. Gowtham realizes this and that's what lends the film not just style but also immense substance. On the whole, kudos to the "Vinaithaandi Varuvaaya" team for bringing Gowtham's vision on screen.

Superhero in need of an original script: Kandaswamy movie review

Anyone who has seen Susi Ganesan’s first two films – “Virumbigiren” and “Five Star” – will know that for all the flaws in those two films, two areas that brimmed with original ideas and a sense of vitality were script and screenplay. Be it the wonderful conversations between Prasanna and Kanika in “Five Star” or the touching dialogues given to the kid playing Sneha’s kid sister in “Virumbigiren,” those two films had moments when we thought that modern directors sometimes can do a very good job of trying to get the basics of filmmaking right. But with “Kandaswamy,” Susi Ganesan gets a few things right but unfortunately for the discerning viewer script and screenplay are not among those.

First things first: the movie looks absolutely great. Top notch production values are the strengths of “Kandaswamy.” Ekambaram’s superb cinematography lends the production a glossy look. The aerial shots in the Mexico segment take one’s breath away. And Thotta Tharani’s set designs are a treat to the eyes. The set for the “Meow Meow” song that drips with white all over is a masterpiece. Devisri Prasad comes out with some peppy tunes and a rousing, if at times loud, background score. But alas, “Kandaswamy” is like one of Thotta’s grand sets but with a shaky foundation. For a person who has separate title cards for story, screenplay and dialogues, Susi Ganesan has failed to come up with a winner in any of those areas.

The story is a cocktail of several Shankar movies and even the dialogues bring fond memories of those sizzling lines from the pen of Late. Sujatha (hell, Vikram even says, “Poor get poorer!”). Kandaswamy, played by Vikram, is an officer in the Economic Offenses wing who has his own agenda for helping the poor. Ashish Vidhyarthi and Raj Mohan play corrupt businessmen who are victims of Kandaswamy’s raids. And Shriya plays Vidhyarthi’s daughter with an axe to grind with Vikram. Her methods to get back at Vikram for the sake of her Dad and her subsequent volte face in the second half can be described in three words: Dumb and Dumber.

The modus operandi of Rajni in “Sivaji” is revisited by Susi Ganesan without any tweaks that might have made this film an original at least in terms of presentation. Well no, that’s not right. Vikram’s “avatars” are absolutely original! His first scene where he “flies” all over Mansoor Ali Khan’s room sets up the tone for the rest of the movie – out goes reality, in comes fantasy. I only wish that the fantasy didn’t rely on tried and tested concepts like robbing the rich to feed the poor. And when the plot has holes that resemble Swiss cheese, even Alps-like grandeur can’t save the day! For instance, I lost count the number of times the villains had Vikram at point blank range and waited, waited and…waited for him to escape. Oh, and the investigation led by Prabhu is a joke. When there are umpteen police forces surrounding the tree at the temple, how exactly did Vikram’s team continue to accumulate a huge collection of post-its (!) at their den? Prabhu “investigating” Vadivelu is a funny scene but the underlying dumbness of the investigation takes some sheen off whatever little humor there was to that scene. My point is, a fantasy has to be immensely enjoyable for me to overlook these plot holes but instead, I was searching for answers for these questions without enjoying the coolness of the visuals and the grandeur of the film.

One person that manages to rise above all the mess is Vikram. Though the script doesn’t give him a lot of scope for histrionics, he oozes cool and confidence. He manages to take the mediocrity and unoriginality of the script and makes his character someone that we cheer for. The gentle humor, the sarcasm and the sincerity with which he spouts clichéd dialogues all contribute to him standing tall amid the ruins. But as was the case of Sachin Tendulkar of the 90s, one-man shows make for good viewing but rarely win the game. That sadly is the case of Vikram whose talent is wasted in this movie.

...but I am not turning down the volume :-)

Hi there! Welcome to my blog! In the recent past, ever since I got out of business school, I've been putting serious thought into starting a blog where I can pen my thoughts for others to read and comment on. So, here you go! Have a good reading + commenting experience!