Moonu(3) movie review -Correct judgement !!

NOT TO HURT ANYONE !!

There are 2 ways to interpret this movie - If it was intentionally made this way, then I really salute the director and the creative brain behind such a novel, brilliant and extraordinary way of presentation.It requires so much guts to take the risk and make a movie in such a unique manner, just for the sake of coherence. However, if it wasn't intended to be made this way but turned out to be so, then I obviously have my share of bouquets as well as brickbats to give to the director.

3 has always been in the news, for many reasons - One being the fact that it is none other than the Superstar Rajnikanth's daughter's film. Secondly, for the calamitous way in which "Why this Kolaveri di?" shook the world and lastly, for being one of the most-postponed films and finally seeing the light of the day on March 30th. I have never looked forward to watching this movie, but I had been a while since I saw any Tamil movie in the theater ( I think the last one I saw in theater was Nanban ) and this was the only movie which released yesterday. Lastly, the biggest incentive for me watch the movie - it was running in Vijay theater :D, my favorite theater, where a movie-watching affair could be wrapped up with all of 70 to 80, as opposed to any multiplex where it doesn't get lesser than 250-300 (in Bangalore at least). I didn't want to spend so much for this movie, so yes, I decided I would watch it on Friday evening. 

The movie opens off with Sruthi Hassan, Prabhu and a few others crying beside a corpse, the corpse being cleared. Sruthi is shown crying endlessly and refusing to eat food. A flashback then begins about how Dhanush, playing Prabhu's son, Ram, is attracted to Sruthi Hassan, playing Janani. The first half focuses entirely on school romance. It may be a coincidence, but I just recently finished reading a school romance novel and I still can't stop going ga-ga over it. So at such a time, a movie about school romance was indeed, in Ravi Shastri's words, JUST what the doctor ordered! :D ...

Call me prejudiced towards school romance, but whatever, the first half is SIMPLY BRILLIANT !! OH-SO-REALISTIC !! OH-SO-LOVELY !! It PERFECTLY shows how love stories begin in school - love at first sight! It PERFECTLY exemplifies school life - where guys don't take life seriously at all and only roam around streets; where girls are soaked only in studies and feel like a fish out of water when soaked in romance. Ram is a happy-go-lucky guy-next-door. Janani is from a family who is just hell-bent on trying to get to the US as soon as possible. The chemistry between Ram and Janani is INDEED epic, legendary and shall remain etched in my mind for years to come. The way he joins her tuition center just to look at her, the way sincerely spends all of his time just ogling at her :D hehe! He even endures a tight slap from her father for stalking her. She may be just 2 films old in Tamil Cinema, but as the school-going Janani, this is indeed Sruthi's performance of a lifetime !! - I didn't have any idea of a dream girl in my mind until now, but now I do :D ...

Yes, WHO WOULDN'T want a girl like the school-going Janani?!! :D She's simply super-cute, super-adorable, super-sweet, super-beautiful ...what not?! ANGELIC is one word which be the most apt for her. Her eyes, her expressions..the way she blushes...WOW !!!!!!!!!!! I'm off to dreamland already! :D :D  ..Had she played a mute role in this movie, I would've still loved it !! Sruthi's expressions themselves steal everything!! Sruthi's come a long way after 7am Arivu - her Tamil pronunciation has improved ...For a real-life rock-star chick to transform herself into a shy, silent and modest school girl CONVINCINGLY is a GREAT DEAL ...Kudos to Sruthi, Aishwarya and the team for that. Dhanush, yet again, proves why he is one of the best actors in the industry today and miles ahead of supposed-to-be-rival STR. Mind you, I am an STR fan, but I still accept the fact that Dhanush is miles ahead when it comes to the quality of movies he's doing as well as the quality of his performance. He just keeps improving each time. He's proving himself to be a chameleon - seamless slipping into different characters in each movie of his. STR really needs to introspect about the kinda movies he's doing these days.

The romance between the 2 is surreal, dreamy, extraordinary and MAGICAL !!! It doesn't get better than this - love shown with nothing but sincerity, innocence and truth in every iota of it. It also shows how love & romance without the internet and cellphones is EVEN MORE sincere - where the person ACTUALLY feels the LONGING and NEED to be with the other person ...where the person ACTUALLY MISSES the other person ...Such things STRENGTHEN love ...and make sure its roots penetrate deeper...This is shown WONDERFULLY during Janani's family's trip to Tirupati ...The carefully and instantly picked phone calls to the land-lines ...The terrace talk at midnight...Such wonderful escapades are the things which make love the wonderful thing that it is ...I wasn't a great fan of the songs of 3 ...But when watched with the movie, at least in the first half, they're good...Anirudh has done a reasonably good job ...though I'm of the honest opinion that Harris or GV Prakash would've done much more justice (by this I don't mean giving copied music :P)....Anirudh has done a commendable job when it comes to BGMs as well. 

I HAVE to mention Sivakarthikeyan here...He's proved that he is THE NEXT BIG THING in Tamil Cinema in the comedy department ...He just brings the roof down with his amazing one-liners ...as Ram's school friend ...TOO GOOD !!! So it so happens that ...Janani burns her passport in a bid to protest against her family's US relocation. The way marriages take place today are shown quite well too. Today, you hardly find great opposition from families to couples in love. They may be dead against it, but still they give in, with a heavy heart. So that's another thing which is very well shown. So there you go, Ram and Janani get married (in the middle of a nightclub?! Fantasy indeed :D ) ...and move into their new apartment given to them by Prabhu....So the first half ended here ...The movie was pretty slow so far ...But still, that's how romance should ideally be - slow and beautiful :) ..with every moment being savored :) 

*SPOILER ALERT*

So off we go to the second half, where Janani is in search of Senthil, Ram's school friend ...It is finally revealed that Ram is dead...when Janani tells it out to Senthil's parents in a bid to locate Senthil...she finally finds him...and he spills the beans ...We're off to another flashback...The MUCH-HYPED ...MUCH-ANTICIPATED "Kolaveri" song happens ...It is shot on Marina beach I guess...under the moonlight ...and for all the hype, I must say the picturization is very ordinary ...For a song which became the world's most-loved song for a few days ...to the extent of being awarded the "song of the year" by CNN....it really deserved much-better picturization ...in my opinion...The unit clearly hasn't cashed in on the song's popularity ...They could've really done an out-of-the-world, innovative video to do justice to the song ..or..as rumor had it before, they could've roped in Superstar Rajnikanth for a cameo appearance :) :)....By unique picturization, I mean ...look at "Suttum Vizhi Chudare" from Ghajini ...the video TOTALLY lived up to the hype created by the song ...and it was so remarkably unique that it set a template for many other songs to ape...Same thing with "Vizhigalil Oru Vaanavil" from "Deiva Tirumagal" ...it just adds to the already existing beauty and magic of the song ...but this one really looks very ordinary ...

So yeah..towards the end of the song ...Ram is shown hallucinating and imagining things by walking into the beach as he had imagined Janani there ...This is discovered by Senthil, who saves his life ...Ram then kills their pet dog in a fit of rage...without knowing so, until Senthil tells him about it ...Senthil then talks to a doctor about this behavior of Ram...The doctor then tells him that it is a bipolar disorder ...AAAAH !! MATTER REVEALED :) ...I was like - "Aiyoo!! No! Not another psycho movie for Dhanush!" ...Dhanush has done WAY TOO many psycho movies ...he really ought to take a break from them ...Else, there'll be no difference between him and Vijay, when it comes to sticking to stereotypes...So here's where Dhanush's psycho behavior begins - mania, depression, anger, laughter ...all in one...with Senthil by his side to control him always, much to Sruthi's anxiety and despair...I can just be diplomatic like other reviewers and say Dhanush is excellent as always ..blah blah...but no, I have to be honest ...Sorry Dhanush, you've got it all wrong this time! The audience wasn't feeling every emotion of yours, as they're supposed to...in case of good psycho movies....but this time, they were just laughing at you ...they were taking loo breaks...some of them even left the hall...It was totally unintentionally hilarious!!!

The story finally ends with Ram committing suicide as he does not want to harm Janani in any way....and a message that bipolar disorder doesn't mean committing suicide...but can be treated by consulting doctors.....Well, a good message indeed....BUT....one has to realize that making a psycho movie is no cup of tea !!!! The greatest of directors have taken pains and have yet, failed ....Psycho movies HAVE to be brilliant ...or else they become unintentional laugh riots...as was the case with this one! 

Sruthi Hassan does NOTHING in the 2nd half except shedding buckets of tears......you really are reminded of Smriti Irani from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi ...only sobbing, sobbing and sobbing ...What a terrible reduction of a role of a lifetime!!!! You know, at times you're even confused about who has the bipolar disorder !!!!!!!! Ram or Janani ??!! :D :D ...

It seems to have become a fad in cinema these days - a simple formula - take some random medical disorder and make a movie on that ...the reviewers will anyway praise the actor for taking up such a different role ..no matter how he performs....

But ..NO !!!!!! Psychopath/Disorder portrayals HAVE to be convincing ...look at Vikram in Anniyan...there's a clear reason and a story behind why he became that way ...same with Surya in Ghajini....

the blow on his head was the reason for short-term memory loss...same with Dhanush in Mayakkam Enna ...extreme hyper-involvement in his passion causes him to oversee reality....Veera in Nadunisi Naayigal - he was sexually abused as a child, that's what makes him become a psycho....

But this one reduces to a mere Azhagiya Tamizh Magan :P :D ....there's no rationale or story behind HOW Dhanush gets the disorder ....there should have been one ...THAT would've made it more convincing !!! Dhanush's crying and psychopathic behavior just makes people laugh more and more by the minute ...and at the very end ...where he kills himself, people literally fall off their chair and roll on the floor laughing !!!!! It is THAT downright ridiculous and pathetic !!! 

So yes ...There you have it folks - THE MOVIE ITSELF SUFFERS FROM THE DISORDER IT IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN !! :D :D ....What a brilliant first half and a lousy second half !! :D ...It is not just Dhanush who has a bipolar disorder, folks! ...You experience it as you watch the movie! :D ...You're sent into such a dreamy, romantic tizzy in the first half ...and a state of shirt-tearing frustration and exasperation in the second !! :D :D 

*SPOILERS OVER*

So yeah ...I go back to what I said in the beginning ...If this was indeed, intentional ...then I salute Aishwarya Rajinikanth for daring to make such a movie ...with intentional blunders and flaws ...so that the movie is coherent with its theme...and makes the viewer also feel the same way :P ...If it is intentional, then HATS OFF to the crew !! This movie deserves all awards and accolades for daring to be different ...and give two hoots to the audience, logic and other things, just focusing on creative coherence !!!!! 

However, if it was unintentional ...then sorry Aishwarya ...you just shot yourself in the foot !!! The movie was like a dreamy fairy-tale in the first half ...but you made it worse than a Sam Anderson or Powerstar Dr.Srinivasan movie in the second !!! 

So yes, folks ...if you ask me ...I would say ...watch the first half ...and you may safely leave and go home! :D ...Lastly, WHY ON EARTH is it called 3 ? It would've been perfect and more creatively coherent if it were to be called 2.