Meenakshi Sundareshwar

Except in the song Tittar Bittar, director Soni rarely acknowledges the whimsy that underpins his movie. Soni takes his contrived plot and manufactured conflicts very seriously, attempting to mine laughs and tears from awkward situations and the couple’s separation. It’s almost impossible to overlook the safari tourism aspect , given that the film strains for credibility. Tamil words and phrases are dropped into the Hindi dialogue and Rajinikanth worship is woven into the plot. But there is barely anything authentic even for non-Tamilians in Meenakshi’s dealing with her in-laws or her general demeanour and behaviour. The actual throb and thrum of Madurai are invisible in the touristic locations and the fake Tamil flavour.

But where the film falters is not giving us a believable conflict which becomes the sticking point between the couple forced into living apart, in two cities, having to be content with video calling or texting. For such a ‘traditional’ pair, a sudden sequence which involves handcuffs and other saucy accoutrements that go with it, seems forced even if momentarily funny. Had they not heard of sexting? It is a tonal switch, and it feels contrived and bunged in, like a few other plot points. The trouble with playing an uninteresting character is that you can come off uninteresting. Abhimanyu is not given enough of an edge to rise above his standard-issue South Indian male about to jump into matrimony and money-that-he-will-earn-from-a-job.