Kaatru Veliyidai

Mani Ratnam's Kaatru Veliyidai is a love story set on the backdrop of air force military. From this statement alone, one could separate the film into its primary & secondary territories, just like Roja, Bombay and Dil Se... This is the major factor that divides the film's final verdict & quality.

The love story between VC (Karthi) & Leela (Aditi Rao Hydari) is the heart of this motion picture! Mani Ratnam, a crucial member of the Parallel Cinema movement is a master of romance, hands down! He's spoken about love after an arranged marriage, forbidden love, love out of wedlock, love that transcends the boundaries of religions, living together relationship, the state of couples before & after marriage and love among terrors. Kaatru Veliyidai is yet another brilliant chapter from the director's collection of love tales. What happens when two individuals of completely different personalities, viewpoints & professions fall in love with each other? What it means to have an equal relationship irrespective of gender or any of the factors aforementioned? We see an evolution of these through events that transpire between the couple.

Karthi pulls off Varun Chakrapani alias VC with breeze. The character is charismatic, especially whenever he turns on his sunglasses, which doesn't give you a doubt about why anyone would go head over heels for him. But, he is a flawed person, as everyone is. He is a selfish, self-centered male chauvinist. And that's the key that keeps us at the front seat of this relationship. You see how Leela Abraham, played wonderfully by actress Aditi Rao in her Tamil debut, struggles & questions herself for being with a companion as such. The conflict within her is explicitly underlined. Admittedly, the initial set-up & meetings between the two may come off as conveniences despite being captivating, in which the script suffers from pacing issue as well. But, as you learn more about these characters, particularly after their first clear argument, you would definitely want to follow them. You anticipate for their next interactions. From here on after, the romance goes off the charts!

One can't help but to stay mesmerized by their initial acquaintance over a flight trip. Impromptu acting by both the leads are beyond words! The chemistry between these two and the way their charms interlock with each other is classically established onscreen, scene to scene! For those who are single or going through a heartbreak, be careful, because Kaatru Veliyidai will prompt you to fall in love. Mani Ratnam's concise, witty & unusual form of dialogues elevate the romance even further! Watch out for this sequence where VC drops by Leela's to apologize for the foremost fight they had prior. With Nallai Allai's live recording track in an absence of music used to stage a sorry-telling scene, can there be anything else more magically tear-jerking as this portrayed on celluloid, one wonders!

Fun fact, not a single scene in this movie shows the pair kissing, yet you feel their storming love and intimacy! Analyzing this further, yes it is true that any such resultant actions will evaporate all the romantic tension that exists between the couple. The same principle works for a horror film too. The tension is built right from the beginning, and you are only afraid until the supernatural being is revealed or any jump scares are inducted out of nowhere. You are able to observe the very same theory used in the revelation of an antagonist. Before you know the villain, the suspense is there throughout. You really wish to see who is the troublemaker. One such example is Seven by David Fincher. To engross the audiences up till the marked end of runtime, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker still had a knot to relieve even after showing the culprit behind the crimes, to keep us guessing. If it isn't for that final knot, the steam would have dissipated the moment after the revelation. If it helps, this is the similar case for masturbation as well.

Coming back to the topic, Mani Ratnam has installed interesting episodes of conflicts & confrontations, such as the undertaking of a child burden by VC with the pair on a bed upside down or the heated monologue at the dinner venue, after showing a smart method of chasing an unwanted person in the funeral. These are all staples of the director. Another aspect that aided the romance is the time setting. Since the story is taking place in the 90s, scarce constant communication is addressed and it adds on to the depth of the conflicts as well. Apart from these, sprinkles of philosophical questions pertaining to love is visible. What is love? Can we even attempt to understand what it is? Why do we go back even when it hurts? What does it mean to let go? Why do we let go? What's defined by waiting for the right time? What does it mean to let nature take its course? How important is the confession of love? Etcetera, etcetera and etcetera. Here's to the lost loves of Kargil warriors.

Now, what's the problem with the script? This has a lot to do with the secondary territory - the air force military aspect of the film. Mani's intentions are clear. He didn't want to dive deep into the backdrop. He is only focused on the main narrative, which is the love story. Sadly, this is the decision that weighs down the picture a lot. For one, it directly connects to the character arc of our protagonist, VC. The movie wants you to believe that he has gone through a serious change in his characterization, so that when he meets Leela in the exceedingly touching climax, he is a changed man from who he was before. He is trained to be a fighter, hence stems his selfishness, self-centeredness and alike. How would it be for him to lose to others is the transition point. But, his struggle is too light, almost non-existent! From the prison break up till escaping all sorts of hurdles, nothing's ever hard for him. The treatment & attention given to all these are only on the surface level. This is why we don't feel the character has changed so much. If only there were a couple more critical incidents to reshape this imperfect character arc…

Also, maybe due to budget constraints, stunt chases & visual effects to bring upon the full dread of war is at best, lousy and amateurish. Green screens are obvious. Even the way the soldiers hold & handle their guns are fake. Although Azhagiye is a fantastic peppy number, since it's shown to be a reality based shot montage, who is composing the music for it though? Also, no matter if a person is doctor or soldier, all are extremely capable of dancing in this universe. Leela mingling around a bunch of army people looks like an oddity. Most of the characters are Tamilians, but none of them look so. This could be due to the varied micro-ethnicities within a single race across all over India, it's hard to be sure. Labor pain during marriage may seem coincidental, but the humor works greatly. Imagine the presence of Holi colors drenched fabrics in a mundane hospital. But, only for this part, pregnancy before marriage seems unnecessary or forced just for the sake of it, because it ascertains no purpose to the story. Protagonist involving in an accident immediately after another within 5 minutes of the runtime is not well placed. Certain junior artists like the truck driver who is excited to travel with 3 guys who just smuggled his vehicle, unintentional eye contact made by the lady in camp or even the kid who could have acted better are unforgivable silly mistakes, considering the caliber of such a filmmaker.

As a constant practitioner of alternate cinema, Main Ratnam is pushing the envelope for international quality from India without quitting. You watch any of his films, and compare it with 90% of others made in the same country, you will see a vast difference in standards & qualities. His features are among the rare ones that have the qualifications to participate on the scales of world cinema. Right off the bat, Ravi Varman's cinematography is spellbindingly outstanding! Be it the eyeball shot, camera framing, navigations or usage of lights, everything is superlative! A. R. Rahman's chartbuster songs are used to the best effect, especially Nallai Alai & Vaan, because these are the two tracks utilized as background scores as well. For soundtracks, Mani Ratnam knows which parts to be employed and which ones to be discarded. And it works perfectly. Saarattu Vandiyila is a color bedazzlement, while Tango Kelaayo is a classy lush extravagance. Speaking of colors, the scheme is thematic! The director's slow motion technique is not the most favorable out there, but that's his style. Look out for the traditionally stylish beginning credits font.

At the end of the day, yes, the overall film is only above average. But, bear in mind, no other Indian directors out there capture romance like Mani Ratnam does. Watch it for that alone. One can't write off the picture just like that, or any other pictures for that matter. Signing off, Kaatru Veliyidai.