A traditional marriage, and the same old love story…

The stance on divorce, however, is slightly different, and creates curiosity. This is because I know many couples who have divorced, then got back, divorced again, and got back. These things are best left unanswered and not analysed too much, because even if you ask the questions, they really do not have any answers.

By R Kalpana

Being an admirer of Vijay Sethupathi (VS) and Nithya Menen, I was curiously waiting to watch the film, Thaliavan Thalaivi (TT), directed by Pandiraaj. I have no clue about the other films made by the same director, but to me this film is a decent sample for what to expect from the filmmaker.

This film has scenes where all the actors have been trained in the art of loud communication. All their decibel levels cross all acceptable thresholds of sound. Surely, we can watch this film even in volume 10.

There is a fantastic romantic chemistry between VS and NM that made me continue to watch the film, though it is truly a badly made film, despite a great cast. Each and every actor has individually aced in their performances. We can see Yogi Babu in his original style, adding flavour to the screenplay, with his quirky interludes. This was a big relief. Besides, he never had to exert his vocal chords. 

Meanwhile, the husband and wife romance tends to get unsustainable because of family situations and family politics, the stress on the couple increases, creating predictable relationship turmoil, not only for them but for all their close family members. However, the treatment of this subject simply goes out of limits as it is repeated endlessly, the fights are  absolutely exaggerated, with amplified audio tones of all the actors, especially VS, his mother and his wife’s mother.

Dearth of imagination in some scenes are plentiful, as all the supporting actors produce the bandwagon effect by speaking in a very high volume.  I would have appreciated if VS and NM could have negotiated their roles with more intelligence, instead of playing to the tune of the director. This is because their love for each other, which is the core of their relationship, has not been handled deftly. There are only repeated responses in all situations. 

The production budget seems negligible, and there seems a huge compromise on the quality of the outcome. With all the disruptions from ‘traditional equations’ between husband and wife, which seem to be interesting sometimes, the sentiments  and practices did not question the deep social and personal linkages in terms of a man-woman power structure in a traditional domestic scenario.

Just by settling themselves into a new household where they do not have to live with the husband’s family members, could have been another option, Or else, they could have experimented with a new life for the couple in the house of the wife. Finally, it all comes back to the same old ritual that the wife comes back to live a life of compromise and adjustments.

We know, and we have also experienced the ups and downs in marriage, not only between couples, but also in the life of their family members; in India, in most cases, it is not simply marriage between two individuals, it is indeed a complex relationship between two families and their extended families.

Given that context, perhaps this film was trying to highlight the challenges that are inevitable consequences when family members also play larger roles in the lives of the couples, and allow the deterioration in several ways. 

The stance on divorce, however, is slightly different, and creates curiosity. This is because I know many couples who have divorced, then got back, divorced again, and got back. These things are best left unanswered and not analysed too much, because even if you ask the questions, they really do not have any answers.

I am afraid, indeed, to recommend TT -- even to committed VS and NM fans.

R Kalpana is an educator and film buff based in Bangaluru.