Kadhalikka Neramillai - Lot of time for Love but No time for conventions!
Bharath Vijayakumar
Kiruthiga Udhayandihi's Kadhalikka Neramillai is both a complex and a simple film at once. This urban relationship drama showcases the complexities of modern day relationships, only to show that love is actually very simple. The complexities arise from conventions and compulsions but not from love itself. How much of this philosophy comes through seamlessly through the movie is up for discussion though.
After a break up, Shreya (Nithya Menen) wants to be a mother but doesn't want a partner. At the other end is Siddharth (Ravi), who believes in love but is against marriage and kids. Who moves over to the other side? Or do they get to a middle ground? Or do they remain firm on their respective stands? Kadhalikka Neramillai answers these questions, not by being judgemental but by telling a story involving few individuals.
What works for the film is that a certain sincerity is very apparent right through. The characters are not judged. None of the decisions they take is projected as right or wrong. Most importantly, we never sense a feel of a high moral ground from the film. It talks about a lot of progressive ideas but the tone is more like a discussion and never like 'this is the only right way to do things'.
The performances all around are subtle and neat. What the film probably needed is a little more liveliness. This is present in the score and the way the characters are sketched but somehow the behaviour of the characters is almost always sober. It is understandable to have this kind of a tone when there are complex situations but even in the romantic scenes we really don't feel the happiness of the characters. There is a superb scene involving Ravi and T.J. Bhanu in the second half that stands out because the emotions feel so real. It is a scene where we understand the characters, their emotions and what they mean for each other. Wish the film had more such scenes. There is a fine line between being subtle and being unbothered. I felt the film was leaning towards the latter quite a few times.
Bottomline
The film's Achilles heel is that while the emotions do work at important places, there are also places where we feel we are at a distance from the characters. But lots to like and appreciate including how progressive ideas are treated casually. Kadhalikka Neramillai is actually asking us to not waste time in conventions. By doing so, you are going to get a lot of time to actually LOVE!
Rating: 2.75/5