Hello Friends,
Love stories from the film director ManiRathnam is something many of us eagerly await, because if not anything it takes us to places that we only get to see in the Lonely Planet sites. Apart from that of course, there is superb casting, sizzling performances, scintillating music and that unique sophistication that one can only find in a ManiRathnam film. Lampshade lighting, rainy backdrops, homes that looks straight out of Inside Outside magazine, characters so true to real life, and jewelry and clothes that makes you wonder – Where do they shop? Well I could go on and on, but I am sure you already know what I am talking about.
Well now about, Kaatru Veliyidai, yes all of this is there and it is pure visual poetry. The snow, the rain, the greenhouse, the aerial shots of the terrains, all of it is breathtaking and marvelous. The lead pair looks suitably dashing and beautiful but somehow this film does not tug at your heartstrings like the previous love stories do.
The aspect of Varun (Karthi, the hero) being selfish and treating his girlfriend rudely is yes, abusive, and just when you wonder how this relationship will unravel what emotions will it bring forth, it stops there. Except for a sad and forlorn looking Leela (Aditi Rao, the heroine) nothing much happens. There is a fighter pilot, a Kargil war, human idiosyncrasies, father- son relationship, imprisonment and torture, Hindu – Muslim border issues, pregnancy before marriage so many such dimensions come into play that a neat storyline seems impossible.
Characters such as Delhi Ganesh as the grandfather of Leela, is wasted as he hardly utters a word through the film. And never admonishes the granddaughter even once for making a wrong love choice. He is blissfully unaware of her comings and goings and the same goes for RJ Balaji. He seems petrified most of the times and it is clearly evident that he is in extreme awe of the director so much so, he has lost his voice and has forgotten to act.
Also the imprisonment and beginnings of a torture in a RawalPindi prison makes one think that there is something like a Visaranai type of film to follow. But very soon we see Varun leafing through a book in the prison library with just a beard to remind us of a prison backlash. Also is not the Indian Government responsible for it Kargil heroes, will they not take any efforts to bring them back safely?
Likewise, when we encounter Varun’s family we again expect to see what has transpired between the father and son that has made Varun so self-obsessed. But no, except for one hot, angry and embarrassing hospital scene we don’t find anything else.
Well such questions keep riling us all through the film and there after leaving us to only enjoy the visuals and few tid bits here and there. Nothing else, much.
Useful Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaatru_Veliyidai
http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/reviews/kaatru-veliyidai-review/article17864183.ece
Cheers
Bhuvana Rajaram
