OK Kanmani

Thank you Mani Ratnam for this very timely return to form. OK Kanmani( Such a nice title) is a beautiful love story about the modern age relationships. The dialogues and the settings do bring back flashes of Alaipayuthey and Aaytha Ezhuthu. This isn't a perfect movie. There were some scenes that were cringe worthy(The Loopie App song/moment) . But despite these minor flaws, this movie is a triumph. A celebration. Performances by the cast were terrific . Dulquer is a capable leading man(despite his limited acting range). Nithya Menon was terrific and frighteningly real. But it's Prakash Raj and Leela Samson who steals the show as the older couple . The film moves to a different when they are in the frame. Overall, a beautiful movie that will appeal to the classes.

Its been a while since a movie has left me with so much warmth inside. Its simple story of love that is challenging conventions. The story itself, although simple has a lot of depth to it and the actors really bring it to life. Although he challenges conventions Mani brings it a full circle back to the fact that marriage although flawed in someways is the epitome of unity between 2 people in love and that sometimes you have to just jump in instead of finding faults.

And the soundtrack for once seems to have found perfect amalgamation with the movie itself. It really adds to the emotions that is driving the storyline. And the fact that there isn't the usually stereotypical bad guy is refreshing.

For anyone who wants the feel-good warmth should definitely watch this movie. My only peeve was the slightly off dubbing. But other than that at the end all I wanted to do was to listen to the songs over and over again. Watch it to judge for yourself.

Mani is back with a HIT! The movie is shot is Mumbai and the hero of the movie, Aadhi develops a software game called Mumbai-2.0. Apart from a few visuals that remind of Mani's Bombay movie, this movie is more of a Alaipayuthey-2.0 because you get the feel of a more contemporary version of Alaipayuthey. But, the movie is no where less to the Alaipayuthey classic because this is what you get...

Fantastic Soundtrack by AR (9/10): The "AR-Vairamuthu-Mani" trio's magic is one to cherish forever.

One of The Best Background Music that touches you while watching the movie (10/10).

Awesome performances by Dulquer & Nithya (10/10).

Superb Cinematography (9/10).

The real touch of Mani's movie making and dialogues style which most people love to see (10/10).

I hardly feel the urge to go watch a movie second time. But, OKK tempts me to experience it again in the theater.

Overall, OK...K --> Double OK :)

I happened to watch OK Kanmani yesterday. First of all, let me begin by saying that the movie is definitely much beyond mere 'OK'. If Mouna Ragam, Alaipayuthey & OK Kanmani were to be clustered together as Mani Ratnam's 'love trilogy' then I would definitely consider this movie as a prequel to its predecessors, as the other two had dealt with post-marital themes whereas, this one explores pre-marital relationships of contemporary urban youth. The casting seemed very fresh. Dulquer Salman, Nithya Menen, Prakash Raj, Leela Samson and others have offered some gritty and seminal performances in terms of acting. The movie is undoubtedly a true gem and a definite landmark in all their respective filmographies. The diction of the lead pair does not even show a hint of their obvious malayali accent and seem to enunciate their respective lines quite fluently in spite of being shot entirely on sync sound except for a few scenes. However, the main highlight of this movie is its resplendent cinematography by the very versatile P.C.Sreeram who packs quite a punch this time with his snazzy frames and groovy lights that makes the movie seem like a radiant visual romantic poem. The Art Department surely deserves special appreciation. For instance, there is a scene which reveals Ganapathy's (Prakash Raj) study where we see an old cranky desktop computer and few books neatly displayed in the shelf beside. Such small nuances do play a major role in establishing the character's predilection. Songs composed by the maestro himself have already emerged as trend-setting chart busters and fit inextricably with the narrative instead of merely being distinctive tracks which has got nothing to do with the story-line thus, offering an entirely new experience to the viewer. Contrary to a few reviews that I had read online prior to watching the movie which claims the first half to have intermittent lags, I felt that the movie picks up pace right from the word go and maintains momentum till its dramatic culmination. The dialogues follow the same old pithy and succinct pattern which is indubitably a renowned trademark of the auteur. Overall, OKK is certainly not 'the best' movie of Mani Ratnam hitherto considering his extensive body of work but, it definitely has the potential to become both an inexorable blockbuster and a cult classic in the years to come. Hats off to this 58 year old gutsy genius who has valiantly envisaged a modern-day taboo theme of 'live-in relationship' and churned out a beautiful love story which is both realistic and relatable to the contemporary youth of India. In precis, the film gives us a message that even below an attenuated layer of ostensible modernism, there lies a strong substratum of traditional values still embedded in today's young generation which is yet to become extinct.

I have watched almost all Mani sir's films. OK Kanmani, in my view neither the best nor the worst among them. It deals with the contemporary life styles in Metro cities in India. Mani ratnam has studied them well and portrayed in his own way to make OKK.

Some of my views about the film:

Music- One or two tracks are soothing but not all. This is just an observation based on bollywood songs that ARR has made recently. Screen play and dialogs - I liked it !!! Acting- Even being malayalees, both lead actors shined with their good tamil pronunciations. Acting skills were absolutely fantastic. The supporting roles by Prakash raj and his wife in film are commendable.

Overall verdict: Fresh, modern with not-so-melodramatic tail from India's one of the best Director. Go and enjoy the weekend, you won't be disappointed.