Kadhalikka Neramillai movie review: Nithya Menen, Ravi Mohan shine bright in Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s warm and chic romcom

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It is actually beautiful how these three lives get intertwined over a period of 8-10 years. And barring a tremendous leap of faith Kiruthiga expects us to make, the romance is rather organic, and never too in-your-face. It is very mature, and very secure, and this is what makes Kadhalikka Neramillai a much-needed addition to the romantic genre that seemed to be getting lost in the clamour.

The film takes time to make Siddharth and Shriya meet, and it is very important they spend that much time away from each other because it makes us feel interested in them as individuals before they become potential couples. This adds so many layers to their characters, and makes us feel we are watching serendipity unfold rather than forcefully written scenes.

The world of Shriya, which has a strict mother (Lakshmy Ramakrishnan), a doting but submissive father (Mano), an aunt (Vinodhini), a friend (Swetha), and a boyfriend (John Kokken), is beautiful because we spend time with each of them. We understand their angst, their betrayal, their love, their affection, and their anger.

The same can’t be said of Siddharth because we only see snippets of his life. Of course, he too has two friends, Sethuraman (Vinay) and Gowda (Yogi Babu), a doting dad (Lal), and Nirupama. However, his world doesn’t really get the same love. Despite Sethu and Gowda being interesting characters, and it is their presence that becomes the Chekov’s Gun not once but twice in the narrative, they are conveniently forgotten for long periods of time. However, we don’t really miss them because Kiruthiga constantly reiterates that Kadhalikka Neramillai is essentially about Shriya.

Now, this isn’t really a problem because it is a terrific Nithya Menen who is at the centre of the narrative. She is excellent as a woman who wants to live life on her own terms. In many ways, her character might remind many of her role from OK Kanmani. Nevertheless, Shriya is an interesting character that is allowed to be herself because of the little lies she tells, the little truths she hides, and the little secrets she keeps.

It is beautiful how over the course of the film, which has her become a mother of a 8-year-old son, Shriya never once moves away from what she really wants in life. Interestingly, just like OK Kanmani, Kadhalikka Neramillai too takes a traditional stand despite the rather progressive discourse about marriage and parenting.

Again, this isn’t a bad thing because when we see Shriya take the decisions she takes, we understand her reasons behind it. She had a reason to choose to be a single parent. She had a reason to choose companionship. She had a reason to reject the idea of love. She had a reason for everything, and that is mainly because Kiruthiga wonderfully etches the role of Shriya.

Of course, the movie follows certain tropes that might not seem new at all, but Bhanu lends a lot of honesty and vulnerability to a role that could easily have been misconstrued. It is Ravi’s Siddharth, who gets a raw deal of sorts because except for a throwaway line about ‘I want to be with you’ there is hardly anything else to convince us… except the brilliant performance of Ravi.

Along with AR Rahman’s terrific music, which aids the ebb and flow of the narrative, and even creates magical detours out of thin air, it is the strong performances of Ravi and Nithya that makes Kadhalikka Neramillai one of the better romcoms to come in Tamil cinema in quite a while.

Kadhalikka Neramillai has no qualms in embracing the urban nature of the film, and isn’t trying too hard to shake off the tag. This here is a movie that believes in itself, and doesn’t want to incorporate elements to cater to a wider audience. In fact, this attempt respects all sections of the audience more than those films that are altered to suit various sensibilities.

The movie is glossy, but never to a fault. It is about two people who can afford a lavish lifestyle, and the film reflects their daily lives. Gavemic U Ary’s stellar cinematography paints Bengaluru and Chennai as two sides of the same coin without wanting to spell out the differences or highlight the similarities.

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Kadhalikka Neramillai is a simple, sensitive, and sensible film that accepts the flaws of its characters as par for the course. But the real reason why this film, powered by an in-form Nithya and Ravi and a wonderful AR Rahman all coming together to elevate the vision of Kiruthiga, felt so refreshing is because it reminds us how despite all odds… love will always find time to find a way.

Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Cast: Nithya Menen, Ravi Mohan, TJ Bhanu, Lal, Yogi Babu, Vinay
Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Director: Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi
Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Rating: 3.5 stars