RHYTHM

A movie review by Balaji Balasubramaniam

Director Vasanth gave notice of his talent with his very first movie Keladi Kanmani, which had a beautifully told, mature love story between S.P.Balasubramaniam and Radhika as its crux. While movies like Aasai have given him a recognisable name in the industry, his resume has been dotted with sub-par entries like Appu. He goes back to his roots with Rhythm, where he once again focusses on a mature romance between a man and a woman, both of whom hide sadness in their pasts and find out that they have more than just this sadness in common.

Karthikeyan(Arjun), a photo editor in Bombay, is a widower, having lost his wife Aruna(Jyotika) a few years back. His parents have only one mission in life - to see him married and happy again. Chitra(Meena), a tamil girl whom Karthikeyan meets, gives them hope. She is a widow, her husband(Ramesh Arvind) having died too, and also has a son Shiva(Master Aditya). When they exchange their sad stories, Karthikeyan and Chitra find out that their pasts are linked.

Every stage of the relationship between Arjun and Meena has been told naturally and with minimum of fuss. Their initial friction and subsequent gradual friendship are uncontrived and natural. Both their actions and dialogs during these portions are very uncinematic. Infact, that is true of all relationships portrayed in the movie, be it between Arjun and his parents or Meena and her brother. Vasanth never resorts to cheap or forced sentiments at any point and a touch of realism pervades the entire movie.

The flashbacks of both Arjun and Meena are charming and introduce two lovable characters as their spouses. Vasanth makes it easy for us to believe and understand the loss of both Arjun and Meena with the help of these roles. Ramesh Arvind reminds us of a character in Manirathnam's movie(like Karthik in Mouna Raagam) with his mix of good-heartedness and charm. He has some of the best lines in the movie and is lovable. Jyotika's character of the concerned wife too touches a chord. We become attached to these two characters in the little time they are on screen. The surprise about their pasts being closely related is delivered very well.

The movie drags a little in the second half. The song sequences where Ramya Krishnan and singer Shankar Mahadevan have cameo appearances are not just unnecessary but intrusive too and affect the flow. The role of Meena's neighbour is also inessential and is obvious as a ploy that allows Arjun to indulge in a fight sequence and maintain his 'Action King' sobriquet. But Vasanth recovers in time with a crisp climax that is underplayed and very effective.

Arjun is calm and composed and delivers an understated but impressive performance. Meena is adequate but the close-ups of her face are not very flattering. Master Aditya steals several scenes with his smart performance. Jyotika's facial expressions are irritating when she tries to be playful and jovial though she does well in the serious scenes. Nagesh and Lakshmi have strong roles and do full justice to them. Manivannan has a few, disconnected wisecracks initially and is not missed when he disappears for most of the movie. A.R.Rehman and the cinematographer provide able support to Vasanth. Nadhiye Nadhiye... provides a spectacular introduction with Arjun walking among the glorious waterfalls. Kaatre Un Vaasal... is very melodious and the desert provides a nice backdrop though Jyotika seems to have trouble executing even the simplest of dance steps gracefully.