3 - "Bipolar" Experience

 

So, at last arrives the film that has with it the feverish hit "Kolaveri Di". One goes with a bountiful of expectations for this film only because of the one song it has. Starring Dhanush, Shruti Hassan and Sivakarthikeyan and directed and written by Aishwarya Dhanush, 3 is a romantic drama. So, is the movie worth the hype created by the Kolaveri factor? One may think yes because of the track record of Dhanush's movies in the past few years and the track record of serious tamil cinema in general. But the answer is a big negative. 

The plot revolves around the love life of Ram (Dhanush) and Janani (Shruti Hassan) which is recollected in flashbacks by Janani. They both fall in love at the peak of adolescence and have a few years of romantic joy with their parents being oblivious to all this. Then one day they get married and are just starting to live happily ever after when all hell breaks loose. Ram discovers that he has bipolar disorder(read extreme mania). Then the plot follows the steady decline of his condition and how he tries to hide it from his wife who is distraught at her husband's erratic behaviour.

What could have become a good compelling drama has been squandered by the Writer and director Aishwarya Dhanush. The story moves at an excruciatingly slow pace with an overdose of scenes and situations that involve glycerin. Yes, the premise is interesting and the story quite sensible. The long winded screenplay and erratic direction however destroy any interest one may have. The movie starts at a great note with some good dialogue and lighthearted romance meshed properly. But from where the track of the school going lovers ends, the movie goes into a path of steady decline before plummeting into a chasm in the second half. The director could have opted for a little less of melodrama as it turns quite annoying at times. Yes, the subject is quite serious, but the passion that has to emanate from a love story like this isn't present. Here is emotional disconnect everywhere which just blunts the serious proceedings. And of course, there are some glaring plot holes (main one being the parents of ram being of ignorant of his condition) which throw the viewer off connect. However, where one has to commend the screenplay is how unabashedly it sticks to some old Tamil movie cliches without being unrealistic. In fact, however long winded and annoyingly melodramatic the movie might be, the element of realism is ever prevalent with few scenes being otherwise. 

Coming to the performances, both Dhanush and Shruti get ample scope to cry and they cry out with aplomb. Dhanush is quite his usual self. He has given a performance that seems to have fit the director's (read his wife's) and the story's need. Shruti Hassan shows a little bit of improvement and looks just fabulous, but still has to exercise some control over her facial expressions. Both of them give charming performances in the track of maturing adolescent love. They actually fit the bill of school goers perfectly. Right from their looks to actions, everything goes perfect in that particular track. But all of their ability is squandered or overused from then due to the excruciating pace and poorly written dramatic scenes. Sivakarthikeyan throws in some fun in the movie. His presence provides the adolescent track with suitable comic relief. Prabhu and Bhanupriya get no scope and have just mere cameos. Sunder Ramu as a friend in need is decent.

Technical work is solid. Cinematography(Velraj) is suitable to the film's mood. The editing(Kola Bhaskar) is optimum. Little needs to be said about the lilting score of the already famous debutante Anirudh Ravichander. Not just Kolaveri, but most of the songs are good and well shot. Even his background score is smooth flowing. His work is the USP of the film and rightly so.

Folks, let's face it, Kolaveri is the only reason 90% of the people will watch it and it might be reason enough to give the film a decent opening. But the viewer is so let down by the director that he\she might think "Why this Kolaveri" dear director. The movie is a Bipolar experience i.e one will love a bit of it and just despise the rest of the bits. But the lovable parts are very much in the first half. A great story gone awfully wrong. A disappointment to the level of Kolaveri (Murderous Rage).

Rating - 2 on 5 (and no extra marks for Kolaveri, it just doesn't help)