There’s a new Mani Ratnam film in town and it’s got the characteristics of his work. The visuals look like paintings, it’s got music that you’ll hum long after and characters that make everyday life look anything but mundane. The humour flows gentle and easy. Mani Ratnam, Rahman and Ravi Varman (cinematography) are dream merchants who can make even the most cynical fall in love with the idea of being in love.
Beneath that picture postcard surface, relationships are complex. Two strong-willed individuals foresee, in their initial interactions followed by a heady flight over snow-capped mountains, that it won’t be an easy relationship. Fighter pilot Varun (Karthi) tells Dr Leela (Aditi Rao Hydari) that they shouldn’t meet again. He pulls away, with the warm glow from the vehicle’s headlight transfixed on her face. Her eyes say it all.
Before long, she goes in search of him at his camp in Ladakh. To Leela, Varun is more than her first patient in Srinagar. She’s read about him, through her brother’s letters. It keeps getting better, as Ratnam reveals little by little, things that make Leela and Varun what they are. Rukmini Vijayakumar as Nidhi and Balaji as Ilyas are excellent supporting parts in these segments. We’d like to see more of Rukmini in future. There’s an effortless grace and spunk to her.
Confrontations crop up soon. As Nidhi puts it, Varun is in love with himself. He wants to have the last word. As Leela realises, he swings between extremes, treating her like a queen or walking all over her. She values self respect and wants an equal relationship. Varun and Leela are both well written parts.
Without much fuss, Ratnam also shows changing family dynamics. Look out for the segment that precedes the foot-tapping Morethukochindhi , when Varun’s brother and his bride to be are introduced. We see very little of Varun’s family but those snatches are enough to show that there’s always something or someone hurting. Is Varun’s behaviour a reflection of the discordant family?
Varun’s moment of reckoning comes when he’s languishing as a prisoner of war. This is the Kargil war period. Leela’s memories give him a reason to think of life beyond the high prison walls. He struggles to remember her voice. In a flashback, she’s singing a raga as her grandfather (Delhi Ganesh) listens in. Her rhythm falters as she hears the hum of fighter planes. These, among many other moments, are nifty touches. Karthi is brilliant as Varun and Aditi is a revelation, both unwavering in their focus.
On the flip side, be prepared for the unhurried pace. You could be completely invested in the characters with all their imperfections and be empathic to their journey or end up thinking what’s the fuss about being in love if it hurts so much!
A chink in the armour is also the flight to freedom. Can it be that easy? Of course, there’s a follow up but yet, it remains unconvincing.
Cheliyaa
Cast : Karthi, Aditi Rao Hydari
Direction : Mani Ratnam
Music : A.R. Rahman
