OK Kanmani (O Kadhal Kanmani)

Rendering romance at its practical best is a quality that Mani Ratnam possesses and OK Kanmani aka O Kadhal Kanmani is no lesser when it comes to portraying that vibrant romance on screen. With cheerful protagonists trapped in the confusion box of commitment, Mani Ratnam takes you to a joyful ride that explores the young generation and gives a smart interpretation to the live in relationship concept.

Aadi is a game designer who has just arrived in Mumbai and Tara is an architect who is already there in Mumbai. The two of them meet at a friend’s wedding and the graceful chemistry gradually goes into a live in relationship. With ideologies and life experiences forcing both not to commit for a lifelong relationship, the movie tells us how this couple understands the complications and finds a solution.

The concept of live in relation and its emotional conflicts gets more of a focus here. Unlike Alaipayuthey which kind of explored a whole lot of perspective of a love marriage, here it is more on the commitment part. Aadi and Tara have more rebellious energy compared to Shakthi and Karthik. What Mani Ratnam tries here is to keep it more simple and short about the fear of obligation. The subplot that has Prakash Raj and Leela Samson portraying characters that silently tells the couple on what exactly love is is a solid one and through that sentimental yet realistic love story, the director reduces the space for a possible cheesy melodramatic episode. The only flaw (not a major one) was in connecting these two love stories. The kind of emotional peak we would have expected in that searching sequence towards the climax was not achieved but still it is kind of satisfactory.

As I already said, Mani Ratnam keeps his romance lively and vibrant. Even when some awkward moments pop in, it has a gradual inclination with the storyline. The chemistry of the pair gets a lot of help from the treatment Mr. Ratnam adds to his movie. The screenplay is cheerful and very less melodramatic. Giving a feel good nature to the live in relationship concept is a tough task, but the writing and making makes it look quite good and convincing on screen. The dialogues are also quite humorous and appealing. P C Sreeram’s frames are quite charming and the edits were also impressive. Indulging background score and fabulous songs from A R Rahman gives more liveliness to the movie.

Dulquer Salmaan easily transforms himself in to that energetic young man with a smart attitude. Nithya Menen also delivers a charming performance as Tara with her cute smile and sparkling eyes. More than the individuals, it was the chemistry of the lead pair that made these characters lovable. Prakash Raj and Leela Samson were really impressive in those characters.

Overall OK Kanmani (O Kadhal Kanmani) is a really impressive romantic movie that succeeds in giving a joyous feel to its viewer. The rating for the movie is 3.5/5 along with thumbs up. It may not be as elaborate as Alaipayuthey, but it has its own conflicts to deal with.