DFS

The buildup to Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa(Will you cross the skies – for me) had me on tenterhooks anticipating a good romantic story and Gautham does it yet again, with a touch of class, may I add.

VTV is sincere and first off, it’s an honest attempt at portraying a couple’s real life rather than glossing it over to suit the “reel”. Dialogue delivery and timing was near perfect and was especially noticeable during the comic scenes when the audience erupted in laughter…step aside side-track comedy roles, this is how comedy should be part of the main story. Whoever wrote the dialogues has obviously put a lot of thought into it. Background score and songs are terrific, no need to go into that here, we all know A.R. Rahman and more accolades will be coming his way.

The movie opens with Jessie(Trisha) at the altar about to get married and Karthik(Simbhu) telling us that the problem is he is in love with this girl who’s going to get married. His narration then takes us back to how the two met. Nothing fancy here, boy meets girl, boy chases girl, girl rebuffs all approaches because
1. she’s afraid that it won’t work out b’cos she’s a Christian and the boy’s a hindu
2. she’s older than the boy by one year
3. she doesn’t like the boy;
however our boy keeps pursuing and ultimately wins. Well not quite. The revelations by Jessie are really cute when she reveals why she got angry with him when he first proposed.
Two stand out things you can’t help but notice during these scenes. Saree is still the best dress to portray women in a hot and graceful way at the same time and Gautham has been doing a very good job at it right from Jyothika in Kaakha Kaakha to Trisha who dazzles across the screen here. Kolluraale is what I’d say if I was Simbhu :). Secondly, Simbhu’s friend Ganesh, who keeps mentoring him in the foolish ways of love, has the audience cracking up with his expressions and punch lines, much credit should go to him for his outrageously funny role here. For ex, he starts off this line during one of their difficult times – There are so many girls in the world and off all the girls, you chose Jessie…why?

Also, the make-up or lack thereof brings an element of realness to Trisha and Simbhu. The lead pair, Simbhu especially given his penchant for “superstar stuff”, have really put in that extra effort which makes them both click as a perfectly matched couple on screen.

It’s then a roller-coaster ride of how the duo enjoy each other’s company while the primary obstacles they face are in the form of Jessie’s dad and brother. Some things are so honest that they need a mention here. For instance, Karthik is not portrayed as “the” perfect hero who does all the right things and this is brought out quite well when he bashes up Jessies’s brother while reasoning that he loves Jessie, not her brother and dad. Another instance is the way Jessie talks sweet nothings to Karthik and how he reacts saying: “Did I just hear what you said?” because in most cases, it’s the guy who usually tells all these senti dialogues and Karthik’s cute reactions are exactly how one would react in real life.

Some other lines cannot be explained unless you are from the same background but I’ll give it a go anyway. After a fight, Jessie says “I hate you”. Karthik’s instantaneous reaction as if he knew what’s coming is “Thank you”. She turns and she walks away and Karthik says that she does this every time she gets angry(classic that every guy goes through at some phase or the other) and that he’s seen her back more than anything. Perfect sense of timing for comedy, of course you probably need to be a Chennaiite to get it.

Another classic is when Jessie unable to put up with her family’s restraints, calls Karthik and says that she’ll elope with him at that moment, Karthik says she cannot go and stay where he is now. Reason being that he’s an assistant director on the sets in another town and is having a really tough time already(they show this but he doesn’t tell Trisha about what’s he’s having to handle). He tells her that it’d take some time to complete his career related work and that he’ll talk after he’s back but she takes it as him not being there when she needs him and says she’s sorry to have disturbed him and cuts the call. Yet another subtle guy vs. gal thinking. Later Jessie is all confused and it’s her turn to have gray shades to her character now. She’s not clear on what she wants and asks Karthik to leave but then hugs him saying she can’t be without him and then again asks him to leave forever, all within the space of one night. Simply unbelievable that the director has not tried to stereotype and create clear cut problems and solutions, but has tried to show in a mature way what actually goes on in a relationship.

Their journey continues and the rest of the tale is told beautifully with twists and turns. It’s for you to go see after this or I’ll be giving out the story. I can only tell you it’s different from what one would normally see towards the climax stages and the way the ending is woven together. I have included the spoiler at the end of this review with my thoughts on the ending.

Summary:
What did I like best about the movie? Dialogue delivery, cinematography and background score
What did I not like? The scenes involving Jessie’s father and brother could have been handled better. Also, the chemistry between the lead pair during some intimate moments was found lacking.
Was I disappointed in spite of two breaks of approx 40 minutes due to technical issues in the theatre? Absolutely not.
Did I enjoy the overall experience? I loved most things, and would probably get a dvd copy to own when it’s out. (Also, thanks to my 6 friends….considering all the laughter we had during those two enforced breaks)
Should you go see it? Yes yes yes, for anyone young at heart. Gautham Menon keeps making mature and sensible movies; for all the crappie movies that have polluted the Tamil cine industry in the recent past, this one is like a breath of fresh air.
Rating? 7.5/10

The end takes us through Karthik becoming a director after a few years and in the process how he rejects another girl and how he meets Jessie during the making of the film. Trisha had supposedly got married but she tells him that it’s not true and that she moved to the US after her parents rejected Karthik. She could not say yes to anyone else either. She tells him that he must have found someone new by now and he says yes(the tangible look of disappointment in Jessie's eyes) and that someone is still you(that look changes to teary eyes). He goes on his knees and asks her to marry him and she says yes and they get married the same day. Well, that was according to the first film directed by Karthik.

What actually happened is that Jessie is indeed married, but Karthik takes this film based on what could have been and not what is reality. He invites Jessie for the premier showing of his movie and she’s comes from the US to see the movie. He still hasn’t found anyone else though. Jessie being the sensible woman that she is tries talking sense to him telling him to find someone who loves movies and to get married soon. She tells him that in a way it’s good that she didn’t marry him as he would have probably not fulfilled his dreams. She wishes him all the best and leaves in her car. Reasonable point of view you may say to end the movie with a sensible woman’s practical thinking.

Well there is the guy’s point of view too. Karthik nods his head to all that Jessie says but then talks out to himself saying “Love is not a convenience thing for me to force it to happen based on all these factors. It has to happen like how it happened between you and me.”
Perfect ending if you ask me, because the director does not attempt to fix everything in the end. The girl has tried to move on but her disappointment shows and the guy doesn't know what the future holds, but what the heck....life goes on......
Not every relationship ends in a happy marriage or in a tragedy. For every successful or unsuccessful romance, there are couples who have moved on not because they didn’t love truly, but because……