<p>Kaatru Veliyidai <br />Tamil (U/A)**<br />Cast: Karthi, Aditi Rao Hydari, R J Balaji, Rukmini Vijay Kumar, Shraddha Srinath<br />Director: Mani Ratnam<br /><br /></p>.<p>Kollywood’s pasha of romance — Mani Ratnam — is back. But his 25th film is a pale shadow of his luminous past. <br /><br />Ratnam seems to have lost his Midas touch over the years. Pallavi Anupallavi, Geethanjali, Agni Natchathiram — the man who shone so brilliantly is nowhere near his gems lately. <br /><br />His Tamil-Telugu bilingual Kaatru Veliyidai - Cheliyaa, turns out all hype and hoopla, a disappointing fare. Abjectly snail paced and set against Kargil skirmishes, the film’s saving grace is its postcard cinematography of locations (Srinagar, Belgrade, Leh, Ladakh) by Ravi Varman.<br /><br />The feisty romance between airforce fighter pilot Varun and doctor Leela Abraham lacks the necessary frisson to make it a sublime tale. The highbrow romance lacks the soul and warmth of a convincing drama. <br /><br />Told in flashback, Kaatru Veliyadi — whose wafer-thin narrative speaks of how two divergently opposite characters (Varun aka VC: egotistic, dysfunctional and domineering; Leela: submissive, docile, yet strong-willed) strike up combustible chemistry — fails to engage despite familiar Ratnam flourishes. His unconvincing scripting simply does Kaatru Veliyidai in. <br /><br />The film’s other attraction is the symphonic score by A R Rahman. Karthi tries his best, while it is Aditi who steals the show with a power-packed performance. <br />The film has its moments but Mani magic is sorely missing. <br /></p>
<p>Kaatru Veliyidai <br />Tamil (U/A)**<br />Cast: Karthi, Aditi Rao Hydari, R J Balaji, Rukmini Vijay Kumar, Shraddha Srinath<br />Director: Mani Ratnam<br /><br /></p>.<p>Kollywood’s pasha of romance — Mani Ratnam — is back. But his 25th film is a pale shadow of his luminous past. <br /><br />Ratnam seems to have lost his Midas touch over the years. Pallavi Anupallavi, Geethanjali, Agni Natchathiram — the man who shone so brilliantly is nowhere near his gems lately. <br /><br />His Tamil-Telugu bilingual Kaatru Veliyidai - Cheliyaa, turns out all hype and hoopla, a disappointing fare. Abjectly snail paced and set against Kargil skirmishes, the film’s saving grace is its postcard cinematography of locations (Srinagar, Belgrade, Leh, Ladakh) by Ravi Varman.<br /><br />The feisty romance between airforce fighter pilot Varun and doctor Leela Abraham lacks the necessary frisson to make it a sublime tale. The highbrow romance lacks the soul and warmth of a convincing drama. <br /><br />Told in flashback, Kaatru Veliyadi — whose wafer-thin narrative speaks of how two divergently opposite characters (Varun aka VC: egotistic, dysfunctional and domineering; Leela: submissive, docile, yet strong-willed) strike up combustible chemistry — fails to engage despite familiar Ratnam flourishes. His unconvincing scripting simply does Kaatru Veliyidai in. <br /><br />The film’s other attraction is the symphonic score by A R Rahman. Karthi tries his best, while it is Aditi who steals the show with a power-packed performance. <br />The film has its moments but Mani magic is sorely missing. <br /></p>
