Kaatru Veliyidai - Diet Roja

I probably would have enjoyed this film much more than I did if I hadn't known it was a Mani Ratnam movie. This is one of those films that carries a huge baggage in the form of expectations due to its director. I was really looking forward to watching this after that awesome teaser set to the exquisite song Vaan Varuvaan by none other than the maestro, A.R.Rahman. Combine that with the potential romantic intensity of Roja, drama of Bombay and the musical feast of Alaipayuthe, I was pretty sure this was going to be another Mani Ratnam classic. Kaatru Veliyidai has almost everything that you expect, but there is still something bothering you.

The movie tells the story of an air force pilot (Varun) and a doctor (Leela) who fall in love with each other, set to the backdrop of Srinagar during the Kargil War. The primary conflict of the story is the difference in personalities of Varun and Leela. Varun is a brash, self centered and juvenile person with daddy issues, who falls for the caring, dreamy and slightly introverted Leela. The usual whirlwind romance ensues, which somehow fails to convince you. The situation worsens when she is stood up at the registrar's office by Varun and when he finds it difficult to take up responsibility when Leela informs him that she is pregnant. Leela meets Varun for one last time to say goodbye, while he is about to leave on a mission. Varun is shot down by Pakistani forces and has to spend time in the Rawalpindi jail.  He breaks out of jail with a couple of his comrades and after a long journey, manages to cross into the Afghan border. The Afghan police hands him over to the Indian authorities. By that time, Leela has disappeared from his life and he spends his yearly holidays trying to locate her. He finally manages to reunite with her in a remote Red Cross camp, along with their daughter.

Mani Ratnam walks on thin ice when the movie almost romanticizes gender and emotional abuse. Leela constantly puts up with Varun's tantrums, so much so that one wonders why anyone would still want to be with a person like him. Feminism takes a hit when Leela says she wasn't sure if Varun would like her and her daughter after all these years and all that happened. Apparently Varun undergoes a personal transformation during his time in jail, which makes him worthy of Leela's love. The movie spends very little time on this, making it vague and confusing. Karthi's performance manages to weave layers into the personality of Varun. He juggles the roles of the confident fighter pilot and the abusive jerk on the verge of being a psychopath, with ease. A large part of Aditi Rao Hydari's performance is contributed by the excellent costumes and photography. When she is not being the eye candy, she manages to take care of her role. I feel Karthi's role has more script support in terms of scope for acting. Yet their chemistry somehow misses the sweet spot, in spite of all the exotic locations and fancy photography. OK Kanmani achieved a lot more without any of these cinematic paraphernalia.

Even though Kaatru Veliyidai is a classic Mani Ratnam romance set in the background of political unrest, it will sadly remain as one of his lesser works.

Rating: That time when Mainland China was closed and you had to settle for Wang's Kitchen.