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This is an archive article published on May 18, 2023

Modern Love Chennai review: A fantastic sixer!

Modern Love Chennai review: Based on the New York Time articles, this is an engaging six-part anthology with each segment staying genuine to its narrative and tone.

Rating: 4 out of 5
A still from Modern Love ChennaiA still from Modern Love Chennai
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‘Aneedhi Kadhaigal’ (Immoral Stories) was Thiagaraja Kumararaja’s first choice for the title of his last feature film Super Deluxe (2019). Made as a feature film, it could have been an anthology as the thread that connects the four narratives is thin and, in a way, insignificant. So, the format of the anthology is not a new terrain for the filmmaker, who is the creative director of Modern Love Chennai. It is natural to expect something subversive and unconventional from Modern Love, but the anthology surprises you. For a change, things are brighter here, except for Thiagarajan’s literally dark segment. You have a jolly and mindless but thoroughly enjoyable Kaadhal Enbadhu Kannula Heart Irukkura Emoji, directed by Krishnakumar Ramakumar, and then you are thrown into the emotional and nail-biting story of Imaigal, which is about a lower-middle class couple grappling with the woman’s declining vision. For his part, Kumararaja treats us to his version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ninaivo Oru Paravai. As the title suggests, the underlying theme here is modern romance, but what is more common about all these films is their commitment to their respective story and tone. Nothing seems out of place or an adage. Each director seems to have enjoyed complete freedom in developing the scripts adapted from the New York Times article. For example, this is the first Modern Love edition that has an episode that is one-hour long! It’s of course directed by TK.

There is of course the witty humour of Thiagarajan even in the films that are not directed by him. Like how the protagonist of Margazhi, Jazmine (Sanjula Sarathi), the daughter of a devout Christian, finds love in a church. In the end, her dad tells the priest that he could see that his daughter is happy since she started coming to the church. “It’s all because of the Lord’s mercy,” says the priest. But we know it’s all due to Jazmine’s winter romance. Perhaps, Margazhi, directed by Akshay Sundar comes across as the most straightforward movie of the lot; it is also the shortest. Yet, a lot is going on in the film. Jazmine’s father is recently divorced and her mother doesn’t even want to be in touch with her daughter. The brief romance she stumbles upon at the church finally gives her what she wants: to be seen. That’s why the end is not devastating but bittersweet.

There’s another story of a divorce that doesn’t lead to a broken family, and it is directed by the iconic filmmaker Bharathiraja, a strong influence in creating the conventional idea of romance in the mainstream. His film, Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal (Deers that live in a bird’s nest) is about a wife’s meeting with husband’s new lover to discuss how they are going to swap their worlds. Talk about subversion! With Remaya Nambeesan’s brilliant performance and Iliayaaraja’s old songs, Bharathiraja has effortlessly pulled off a radical story. Revathy (Remya), who is accepting of her husband’s decision to move on, tells his lover Rohini (Varalaxmi), “Let’s create a new world for our children, where we can find a place for all of us.” It reminded me of Pablo Larrain’s most sensual and explicit film Ema, a film about a woman who starts an affair with a couple, who adopts their former son. Bharathiraja’s film doesn’t go to such length but it drives home a similar point.

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The wackiest film of Modern Love is Rajumurugan’s Lalagunda Bommaigal. Set in North Madras, the film has some of the most interesting characters and sly humour that’s sharp and sarcastic at the same time. The film opens with a rather bleak sequence of Shoba (Sri Gouri Priya) going through an illegal abortion. However, the seriousness of things quickly gets sidetracked by the dark humour that pervades throughout the film. Shoba resolves that she will find the best guy and live happily ever after. However, a self-styled godman tells her that she will end up with a guy from the North, who will also be a thief. Things don’t go exactly the way Shoba wants to, but she gets a happy ending, nevertheless.

On the other hand, Kumararaj’s Ninaivo Oru Paravai, in a sense, doesn’t have a start or an ending. Maybe, you can start watching the film from the middle and can go back to the beginning, and it would still make sense. Ninaivo Oru Paravai starts with perhaps a beautiful break-up between a couple. They have the best sex of their relationship and Sam (Wamiqa Gabbi) goes, “Saving the best for the last, were you?” (It’s a meta line about the film being the last in the anthology?) They have a smoke together and leave with a smile on their faces. K then goes on to have an accident and loses a part of his memories including their break up, and Sam jogs his memory with notes she had made of some of their best moments. And boy! They are also some of the best visual and aural moments as well for the viewer. Everything about Ninaivo Oru Paravai is like a memory. The background (sometimes even the subject) is hazy. Shots are so dark that the makers thought it is necessary to put up a warning note before the film asking not to adjust the screen brightness. One can make whatever they feel is right about Ninaivo Oru Paravai. It could all be in Sam’s head, or it is all in K’s head. Or we are just seeing the K’s first draft and that’s why things are quite messy. Everything could be the right interpretation because it is not about the story. The magic is about the moments Thiagaraja creates. It is wickedly funny. It panders to both the heart and the brain at the same time. Take the same first scene from the film for example: Sam suggests they have sex again for the one last time. K goes, “Why ruin the best? Always leave them wanting for more.” She hits back, “Poda mayiru, admit you can’t.” K looks hurt for a moment, and he laughs, “That too.” With such a delicious film, Modern Love Chennai leaves us wanting more.

Modern Love Chennai series cast: Kishore, Varalaxmi, Wamiqa Gabbi, Ritu Varma
Modern Love series directors: Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Bharathiraja, Balaji Shakthivel, Akshay Sundher, Rajumurugan, Krishnakumar Ramakumar
Modern Love Chennai rating: 4 stars

Kirubhakar Purushothaman is a Principal Correspondent with Indian Express and is based out of Chennai. He has been writing about Tamil cinema and a bit about OTT content for the past eight years across top media houses. Like many, he is also an engineer-turned-journalist from Tamil Nadu, who chose the profession just because he wanted to make cinema a part of his professional life.   ... Read More

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