Kaatru Veliyidai - L'Étendue du Vent

Good visuals and music by AR Rahman but script is not intense enough in this latest Maniratnam outing. Karthi and Aditi shine; this is Aditi's career-best, no doubt. The script is average and the characters have a 90s style persona to them. Cant really help wondering is the movie trying to connect to current gen youths or youths of the past?

Katru Veliyidai fails to connect with the classic Maniratnam romance in the past where he wrote the script for the characters, adopting a film making style that is apt for the script rather than going along with latest trends. the characters here are fine but the romance and character interconnections is solely missing. As a result this movie comes out as a character study rather than a romantic film .

Recall watching Roja - and earlier, all of Mani Sir's films - and being awed, charmed and floored by his craft. Today, if his films - post Alaipayuthey, Kannathil Muthamittal and Aaytha Ezhuthu won international awards but fared poorly in Asia, thats because today's young people aren't the Arvindswamy or the Madhubala types, maybe they are not even Madhavan /shalini types... What this film does is merge the the characters from alaipayuthey and Roja to come up with new stereotypes that is supposedly apt for the late 2010s

The movie could have done better if it has more action and Pakistan jail scenes intermixed with with the flashback romance.

After the trailer and promos indeed it made me feel like this movie is gonna be amazing. But I was completely disappointed when I left the theatre. I know it will be slow and it's all about love. But I never knew there would be no story in this movie. This is not a review. Check others reviews if you want to know about this movie. I want to talk about what went wrong in this film. The audience these days do not want love films. That's the main thing. They definitely expect good songs. But they don't want an entire film to deal with romance. Comedy and thriller films have been doing well in tamil cinema. Mani Ratnam made the bench mark films for the all the present day directors but this film would have been better if the content in the film did not just deal with romance and rather something else. We all entered the theatre not for the sake of Karthi(even though he is good actor) but we went in to see the work Mani ratnam has done in this. I'm not comparing this to his previous works cause I hate comaprison but this as a whole film did not satisfy anyone cause it does not engage or connect well with the audience mindset. People should either relate a film to something that has happened or should probably learn about something that the movie maker wants to convey. That's how its working today. Anyhow. We all know what kind of director is Mani Ratnam. He was the best always. Maybe not this time. I'm sure his next film will satisfy all his fans and make his haters shatter.

Ps....Mani Ratnam said in an interview that he would love to have a full bound script from others and make that into a film. Probably it's high time he tries that.

Kaatru Veliyidai / Cheliyaa (2017) : I never believe in such thing called Love these days because I never found a charming and true love like shown in Mani Ratnam's films.He is the only director who can make a perfect poetic love story with memorable cute performances,soulful music and stunning visuals.There is no such director like Mani Ratnam who can make movies like an artistic painting.He scored a memorable hit with OK Kanmani last year and this year he brought us another love story Kaatru Veliyidai starring Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari.Music by A.R.Rahman is already a chart buster and trailer raised expectations.Did the movie reach it??

Plot:

The story of the film is set during the Kargil war of 1999 where doctor Leela(Aditi Rao Hydari) falls in love with a fighter pilot named Varun(Karthi). The romance is kindled right away but Varun's commitment phobic attitude keeps pushing Leela away from the relationship.The twist in the tale arises when Karthi is jailed in Pakistan because of the tense war situation. Rest of the story is as to how Karthi frees himself from Pakistan and wins his love all over again.

Plus Points:

1)Aditi Rao Hydari: Aditi Rao Hydari is a show stealer with her wonderful performance.She looks drop dead gorgeous as Mani Ratnam has showcased her in a never before seen way. Aditi's emotional performance is the backbone of the film as she delivers in both the glamor and acting departments.Her eyes twinkle in delight, twitch in anxiety and pale in fear and anger.Karthi gave a great performance too but Aditi overshadowed each and every other actor in this film.

2)Cinematography: Ravi Varman is a world class painter whose painting brush is camera and world is his canvas.Full marks to Ravi Varman for his spectacular cinematography. The snowcapped mountains, the silhouette featuring Karthi and all the song sequences are shot beautifully.Especially a scene where our heroine comes out of house to watch air crafts is one of the most visually stunning scene of the year.Another scene where Karthi and his companions escape from military and run with joy,that scene is captured stunningly.We have lot of such stunning visuals throughout the movie.

3)Music: Ratnam-A R Rahman chemistry of 25 years is unbeatable and inseparable.Like all his albums,Kaatru Veliyidai has soulful music but mostly in poetic way..Vaan Varuvaan is an instant classic and best song of this year.Azhagiye is foot tapping brilliant.But what I didn't;t know is about song Nallai Allai.That song is awesome and really captured the feel.

4)Dialogues: Mani Ratnam films do not have any path breaking or award winning dialogues but still there are lot of fans for his work.They are most realistically beautiful and make us fall in love with movie.But overuse of poetic language may not suit all.

Minus Points:

1)Lack of required emotion in crucial scenes: Mani Ratnam succeeded in bringing out 100% output from all the departments like acting,music,cinematography,settings but forgot to bring his best output.This movie lacked the emotion especially in crucial scenes like their conflicts and failed to create any patriotic feel in serious scenes.

So,Kaatru Veliyidai is a best proof about Mani Ratnam's brilliance in bringing out best output from all his departments but failed in bringing his best.

My rating 7.25/10

My take on Kaatru Veliyidai : (press see more / read more to read my complete review )

One of this year's expected movie kaatru veliyidai has all the elements that you would expect from a Maniratnam's movie yet it is not the usual smitten by romance type of flick. This time the director has featured a love story that's intense at the same time intriguing.

The love story of a hard Air Force fighter pilot Varun aka VC essayed by Karthi sivakumar who is super stiff , dominant, chauvinistic by character. The female lead Leela played by Aditi Rao who is a doctor she is simple grounded yet expects equality when it comes to a relationship.

With this contrast what else to expect in a Mani's movie they fall for each other and goes head over heels and slowly develops the crack and the usual fights and intense romance ballets goes on. Though seems clichéd the screenplay makes the difference.

First half of the film is a bit light but filled with heaviness of Rahmanism every single no of this album is a pleasure to ears. Second half gets more of a destructive love genre inter woven with times of Kargil Kashmir, prison life.

The supporting cast though was strong which includes Delhi Ganesh Rukumani RJ Balaji and KAPC Lalitha. They weren't having a big scope nor created an impact. It was an out and out Karthi-Aditi romance duo.

Performances side Aditi was pleasing with her looks which resembles a bit of Aishwarya Rai and some times like an re incarnated Shobhana. She has pulled this character perfect portraying maturity. Karthi on the looks side a bit out of sync but scores towards the second half.

The movie struggles with a bit of pace issues and predictability. VFX was another let down. Some might feel clichéd.

Overall get in for an intense romance ride with breath taking taking visuals through the lens of Ravi Varman intertwined with a soul tingling BGM and music by ARR. I am sure you will walk out satisfying if you are a Mani fan.

-Reviewed by Sivakumar Balachandran.

This is a Ravi Varman film, not Maniratnam's. Each and every shot screams the cinematographer's talent. It's like he painted them rather than captured them. RV just enhances the beauty of everything through his skills. If RV is one side of the Kaatru veliyidai coin, ARR is the other. He does what he always does, especially with Maniratnam. A soundtrack that's gonna keep ringing in our ears forever. Songs and scores, ARR nailed them both.

But the same can't be said about Maniratnam's story. Bit of lazy writing. In one scene a character asks another "y does the heroine put up with a abusive, misogynistic hero?" and the answer is "LOVE". It's disappointing that Maniratnam resorts to this age old drama after his last modern outing, OKK. Lot of the scenes are inconsistent. The interval between Azhagiye and Sarattu Vandiyil songs is just 2 min, and the latter seems forced. The film is promoted as a poetic Romantic tale, but I see is an toxic relationship between an abusive hero and stupid heroine. The heroine here wants to be respected but she gives in to the hero for the sake of love.

Aditi Rao does a splendid job, but Karthi does falter. He needs to work in emoting vulnerabilities. The production design is great.

Overall RV and ARR have put their best to save MR's weak story.