There have been movies and movies made in Tamil Cinema pegged to the evergreen subject of love. But alas, there have been few memorable movies. But from time to time there does come a movie which is noted for it's difference. The difference in approach. The difference in music. The difference in comedy. The difference in the making of the movie, and so on. One such film is here again. "Kadhalukku Mariyathai". This movie is memorable in many ways, a contrast to movies that have spoken on the same subject with a different ending to the story.

The jist of the story is:
Jeeva (Vijay) falls in love with Mini (Shalini). Their relationship is disliked by both the families. The two elope, assisted by Vijay's trusted friends Keshavan (Charlie) and Raghavan (Dhamu), obtaining asylum from Keshavan's father (Manivannan), a leader of a fishermen's hamlet. A registered marriage is arranged by him, but the lovers decide to part and respect the wishes of their parents. They in turn look to get their children married away to help overcome these incidents. However, the two are united by the families in a very emotional climax.

To begin at the very begining, which as we know is a very good place to start, lets consider the story. Fazil has the usual stuff in the first half of the story. The difference comes in how the screenplay has been done. He quickly gets to the point, and wastes no time in creating incidents to help in characterisation. The story moves at a fair clip. Some of the interesting aspects are the way he presents the mother of Mini. She has been characterised beautifully, using incidents necessary for the story. The way she chastises her inspector son ("Thalaivaasal" Vijay) is an example of characters are being built. The screenplay ensures no repetitiveness in relating events in the story.

The director part of Fazil has ensured that Shalini plays the role of a shy demure girl with ease. She is likely to be the best talent among the younsters currently in the industry. Vijay has done a good job in this movie. He could try to be a bit more expressive, however. The editing has been a good job and a little more attention could have been paid to editing during the preparations for the wedding in the movie. The cast in general has done it's job, and none have hogged the limelight. Each has done his job. The director deserves to be appreciated for having given an interesting climax to the movie. There has rarely been a movie made with no fighting at the end. Fazil has handled the movie expertly. The characterisation of Charlie too deserves to be appreciated. A lot of work has obviously gone into the screenplay to ensure a consistent and a proper flow of events. The only jaring note is perhaps the Captain's mental problem. The dialogues could have been better while reffering to him to ensure that the character's don't reflect the same opinion, as there does not seem to be any reason to do so.

It has been quite a while since good music by Illayaraja has figured in a hit movie. His music is a rare treat in this movie. His shift in use of instruments has been something that all Illayaraja fans would miss. But in the repeat of the song "Anandha Kuyilin...", he has shown his true style. Vijay has sung very well, doing better than the songs done by him earlier in other movies. Illayaraja's background score for the climax deserves a special mention. His music gives voice to the emotional conflict in the mothers' mind. No wonder a famous director commented that Illayaraja remains unequalled in composing the background score.

Kadhalukku Mariaythai is a must see in terms of entertainment value, and if you are looking for a message, well, there is some for all!

 

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