'Kadhalikka Neramillai' movie review:  A mostly perfect new-age romance full of heart

'Kadhalikka Neramillai' movie review: A mostly perfect new-age romance full of heart

Siddharth and Shriya (Nithya Menen) are two people who carry extremely varied perspectives on bringing life to Earth.
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For people who have lived in Chennai for over two decades, the name P James would rekindle a familiar memory that has been long buried. For many, the magician, known for his guerrilla advertising on walls all over the city, he was a mysterious person who felt like magic personified. So, when Ravi Mohan (Siddharth) takes the form of P James for an ‘act’ in Kadhalikka Neramillai, you anticipate magic to conjure up the spirit of love in this contemporary love story.

Siddharth and Shriya (Nithya Menen) are two people who carry extremely varied perspectives on bringing life to Earth. While Shriya is worried about modern women struggling to carry a life within them, battling time, societal expectations, and other constraints, Siddharth believes it is immoral to bring life into a world where there is no hope or future for humanity.

Nithya as Shriya is a fierce soul who refuses to bend down to cultural constraints of any kind. The best thing about Kadhalikka Neramillai is its ability to move away from meet-cute moments and massive drama while training its focus on Shriya’s solo journey to bring a child to the world. Her character is mature and self-aware.

Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi feeds the audience with a romantic comedy that replenishes the void of the genre in recent times. The first half sets up a nearly perfect organic romance between Siddharth and Shriya. The latter portions move into a dramedy that struggles to tie conflicts and resolutions together.

In a significant time jump post-intermission, Siddharth looks to be a different man with a poised demeanour, almost having shed all his buzzing energy. Shriya has her focus steady and it is refreshing to see that her priorities remain the same. Her character almost feels like the older, secure, version of Nithya Menen’s Tara in O Kadhal Kanmani. However, when Shriya and Siddharth’s lines cross again, it happens too soon, and too easily. A person vehemently opposing the birth of a child suddenly becomes a father figure. The justification for this is thrown to the magic that love begets.

The interesting conversations that could have emerged out of the film’s own themes like childbirth, free will, and choice, are swept away for good. Ironically, this somehow works in the film’s favour, but you would also like for a film to closely examine the themes it presents. The film still carries several merits for fleshing out a realistic contemporary romantic story but strangely remains uninterested in delving deep into its themes. Despite having a film beaming with potential, bolstered by equally justifying performance from Ravi and Nithya, the makers resort to a few body shaming jokes like Jalaja (Vinodhini) describing Nirupama (TJ Bhanu) as a ‘thodappakuchi’ (broomstick).

One of the biggest assets to Kadhalikka Neramillai is AR Rahman himself. ‘Yennai Izhukkuthadi’, which continues to top streaming charts, reverberates beautifully in theatres. It has been a while since we’ve heard a background score that is refreshing in its conception and runs seamlessly to suit this new-age story that could very well be the start of a new genre of movies that swears by its relatability to newer audiences.

With Tamil audiences staring at overused tropes of evidently over-the-top twists and turns, Kadhalikka Neramillai steps back and asks itself a poignant question, ‘How do we treat this film that prioritises the agency of a woman?’, ‘How do we present an idea that probes the existing status quo?’ It is a film that dares to take its audience on a familiar yet revamped route, towards a new and interesting space that might not suit everyone’s idea of a destination, one that is not bound by the confines of societal expectations or time.

Director: Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi

Cast: Ravi Mohan, Nithya Menen, TJ Bhanu, Vinay Rai, John Kokken, Vinodhini Vaidynathan

Rating : 3/5

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