Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Review: Ravi and Nithya Menen’s updated OK Kanmani romance is bold & breezy
Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.0 stars, click to give your rating/review,Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi pens a romance that reflects the confusion of the present generation and doesn
Critic's Rating: 3.0/5
Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Synopsis: When a young woman decides to take an IVF treatment and a man who has no interest in marriage or children suffers heartbreak, they try to make important life decisions that change the course of their lives
Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Review: Kadhalikka Neramillai is cut from the same cloth as Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani. But what these lovely romances share in common is not limited to just AR Rahman’s lively music and Nithya Menen’s sweet, charming performance. There’s more to it in terms of how the films look at love, culture, and the complex nature of life – all while retaining life/love’s inherent cuteness and zeal.
Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi pens a romance that reflects the confusion of the present generation and boldly veers away from traditional thoughts and practices in most cases. Sample a scene where three best friends Sethu (Vinay), Siddharth (Jayam Ravi), and Gowda (Yogi Babu) discuss sperm freezing. Sethu is a gay man who wants a child; Gowda, on the other hand, has concerns about raising a child without a mother, and Siddharth is neither fond of marriage nor the idea of having children. Kiruthiga treats this scene where they discuss sperm freezing, gay parenting, and the idea of marriage with so much lightness that the film never judges any of them. What it also does is it doesn’t look at these as random theoretical “concepts” but as something that’s part of their lives. So, there is hesitancy among them when they head to freeze their sperms, but there is also a casual attitude that shows normalcy.
This mix of portraying complex life moments with a sense of messy, fun vibe brings life to the characters and the world of Kadhalikka Neramillai. Which is also why even when Nithya Menen’s Shreya makes the biggest decision of her life—to undergo IVF treatment—it’s shown as a fun moment that makes us chuckle but also reflects her lost faith in love and men. This is not to say that Kadhalikka Neramillai gets everything right. For instance, while the film shows off some real bold moves in terms of marriage or twists in the story, it often feels like they come with a tag: “terms and conditions applied”. For example, the film initially celebrates how an undaunted Shreya decides to become a single parent. However, when she is raising her child, it seems like the film keeps pointing at how she might just not be enough. Her child keeps running away, the kid doesn’t listen to her, police officers question her parenting, and when her kid gets lost, all she does is cry while Siddharth jumps into action…you get the drift, right? For the need to develop a bond between Shreya and Siddharth so that the romance can move forward, the film keeps compromising on Shreya’s parenting. Likewise, it compromises on a few other ideas it put forth, contradicting its own stance.
However, the film tries and get most other things right so you are ready to overlook a few sequences. It’s because even when the “Breakup” song and visuals feel a little out of place, when two romance subplots are rushed and some sequences are so conveniently written that they stick out like a sore thumb, this film has characters who are full of life, flawed and every bit relatable.
The perfect casting enhances whatever Kadhalikka Neramillai has to offer. If seeing Ravi back in his romance zone wasn’t enough, Vinay in his usual best-friend mode was a refreshing change after seeing him shed blood in every other movie in the recent past. Nithya Menen, as usual, makes Shreya someone you would care about. There is so much elegance in her performance that brings Shreya’s personality to the screen even when the writing is sometimes not convincing. Adding to all of these are the perfect frames of Gavemic U Ary, which again reminds you of OK Kanmani, but also makes you feel the happening vibe of cities like Bangalore and Chennai.
Kiruthiga’s writing makes, breaks, and makes the film. It gets a little unsteady and predictable at times. But it also depicts the most complex human thoughts in a relatable manner and even takes an interesting, daring turn towards the end of the film—for like its characters, the writing too is flawed but breezy and bold!
Written By: Harshini SV
Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Review: Kadhalikka Neramillai is cut from the same cloth as Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani. But what these lovely romances share in common is not limited to just AR Rahman’s lively music and Nithya Menen’s sweet, charming performance. There’s more to it in terms of how the films look at love, culture, and the complex nature of life – all while retaining life/love’s inherent cuteness and zeal.
Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi pens a romance that reflects the confusion of the present generation and boldly veers away from traditional thoughts and practices in most cases. Sample a scene where three best friends Sethu (Vinay), Siddharth (Jayam Ravi), and Gowda (Yogi Babu) discuss sperm freezing. Sethu is a gay man who wants a child; Gowda, on the other hand, has concerns about raising a child without a mother, and Siddharth is neither fond of marriage nor the idea of having children. Kiruthiga treats this scene where they discuss sperm freezing, gay parenting, and the idea of marriage with so much lightness that the film never judges any of them. What it also does is it doesn’t look at these as random theoretical “concepts” but as something that’s part of their lives. So, there is hesitancy among them when they head to freeze their sperms, but there is also a casual attitude that shows normalcy.
This mix of portraying complex life moments with a sense of messy, fun vibe brings life to the characters and the world of Kadhalikka Neramillai. Which is also why even when Nithya Menen’s Shreya makes the biggest decision of her life—to undergo IVF treatment—it’s shown as a fun moment that makes us chuckle but also reflects her lost faith in love and men. This is not to say that Kadhalikka Neramillai gets everything right. For instance, while the film shows off some real bold moves in terms of marriage or twists in the story, it often feels like they come with a tag: “terms and conditions applied”. For example, the film initially celebrates how an undaunted Shreya decides to become a single parent. However, when she is raising her child, it seems like the film keeps pointing at how she might just not be enough. Her child keeps running away, the kid doesn’t listen to her, police officers question her parenting, and when her kid gets lost, all she does is cry while Siddharth jumps into action…you get the drift, right? For the need to develop a bond between Shreya and Siddharth so that the romance can move forward, the film keeps compromising on Shreya’s parenting. Likewise, it compromises on a few other ideas it put forth, contradicting its own stance.
However, the film tries and get most other things right so you are ready to overlook a few sequences. It’s because even when the “Breakup” song and visuals feel a little out of place, when two romance subplots are rushed and some sequences are so conveniently written that they stick out like a sore thumb, this film has characters who are full of life, flawed and every bit relatable.
The perfect casting enhances whatever Kadhalikka Neramillai has to offer. If seeing Ravi back in his romance zone wasn’t enough, Vinay in his usual best-friend mode was a refreshing change after seeing him shed blood in every other movie in the recent past. Nithya Menen, as usual, makes Shreya someone you would care about. There is so much elegance in her performance that brings Shreya’s personality to the screen even when the writing is sometimes not convincing. Adding to all of these are the perfect frames of Gavemic U Ary, which again reminds you of OK Kanmani, but also makes you feel the happening vibe of cities like Bangalore and Chennai.
Kiruthiga’s writing makes, breaks, and makes the film. It gets a little unsteady and predictable at times. But it also depicts the most complex human thoughts in a relatable manner and even takes an interesting, daring turn towards the end of the film—for like its characters, the writing too is flawed but breezy and bold!
Written By: Harshini SV
