Even though the final act of the new Tamil movie Good Night is a bit flimsy in comparison to the rest of its content, this movie from Vinayak Chandrasekaran is perhaps one of the few films that made me laugh out loud with subtle humor in the recent past. The core conflict is about how a man’s snoring problem affected his personal and professional life. But Vinay develops it skillfully as a tale about acceptance and loneliness.
Mohan is our central protagonist, and his family comprises his mother, two sisters, and one brother-in-law, and they all live in the same apartment. Mohan has a snoring issue, which has made him a laughingstock among friends, and even his family is uncomfortable with that. The movie talks about his relationship with a silent and calm girl named Anu, whom he eventually marries. How snoring affects this relationship and their struggle to find a solution for that situation is what we witness in Good Night.
The movie’s first half, which establishes the world, characters, and their backstories, is the juicier part of the movie. There is an area in the movie where they have created a sequence to show the bad luck of Mohan in impressing people. Usually, when filmmakers do that, it will end up looking like an unnecessary cow dung pit comedy. But Vinayak Chandrasekaran embeds that scene cleanly into the movie, and you can immediately sense the scene’s purpose. The way he establishes an organic romance between the lead pair is also a pleasant experience.
For a large part of the movie, everything feels quite exciting, largely because of how Vinayak Chandrasekaran connects one scene to another. There is a sequence where Mohan requests his sister to make him Biriyani. It starts off as a scene about how these uncles and aunts unnecessarily get involved in the married life of people. But he uses the Biriyani craving in that scene to give us a picture of the bonding of that family. Similarly, when Anu, who fears she is bringing bad luck, gets scolded by Mohan in the second half for not showing up for a photo, Vinayak clubs that with the ongoing relationship issue to connect the whole thing. Beyond those genuinely hilarious moments in the film that were never really loud, it was actually these scenes that gave a solid structure to the story. The casting is also a key element, as everyone had that relatable face rather than the overtly glamorized look you see in mainstream cinema.
Manikandan is undeniably the star of the show. His way of performing those moments of humiliation never felt exaggerated. There is a sequence in the film where he talks to his brother-in-law about how the mockery about his snoring actually made his sleep difficult, and the way Mankandan pulled off that scene with a deliberately vague dialog delivery will just make you root for that character. Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee fame Meetha Raghunath was also superb in her role as Anu. The most impressive thing about her performance was the gradual transformation. From the initial hesitant version to the one that hugs Mohan tightly, one can feel the loneliness and self-doubt that that character goes through. As the accommodating brother-in-law, Ramesh Thilak was fun to watch, and he was great in the second half hospital scene. Raichal Rabecca as the sister, also delivered a memorable performance.
As I already said, the movie’s final act and climax are a bit hasty when you compare them with the detailed way in which they constructed the rest of the story. But luckily for the audience, that sloppiness never really disrupts the rhythm of the movie seriously. With relatable characters, believable conflicts, and familiar-like faces, Good Night has a lively energy, making it a delightful feel-good watch.
With relatable characters, believable conflicts, and familiar-like faces, Good Night has a lively energy, making it a delightful feel-good watch.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
