Mani Ratnam is one of the premier film makers in India who tried to change the definition of entertainment in our films.Be it his mass flick Dalapathi,romantic Sakhi or Mounaragam,biopic Iruvur or Nayagan,they have always been engaging and touching despite their performance at box-office.But he seem to lose his touch since a couple of films.Now he has gone back to his forte(actually basics) and has come up with OK Bangaram.Let us see whether Mani succeeded this time and is OK Bangaram is cool enough in this hot summer.
Plot: The plot is not an out of the box idea.It is a simple story of two like minded youngsters who happen to fall in love but do not believe in marriage(for their own reasons).They move together and begin to live in relationship.Where the life takes them forms the crux of the story.......
Performances:Its Nitya Menon's show all the way.She has carried most of the film on her shoulders.Her cute expressions and smile,for sure,will not leave you for sure for a long time. Dulqer is also equally good.He is vibrant in that character.Nani's dubbing best suits him.I am sure that you will like to remember them as Adhi and Tara.Prakash Raj and Leela Samson(renowned classical dancer made her debut with this film) are very good in their well written roles.Other actors are adequate.
Screenplay & Direction: I feel screenplay is the major reason for the failure of Mani's earlier flicks.This time he seem to have taken extra care in this aspect.Though it becomes slow at times,it picks up at the right time and keeps you engaging.Coming to direction...One can simply say our Vintage Mani is back.He got almost every thing right.The scene in which the leads communicate for the first time in church show his thoughts are so fresh as that of a guy in teens. His way of blending the story of Ganapathi and Bhavani's timeless love in the main plot is interesting.How can one comment about the framing of one whose shot selection is so good as Sachin Tendulkar. Brilliant.........
Technical Department:Music by A.R.Rehaman is extraordinary.Though he is not at the best of his form in the recent years,he preserved his best for his guru.All songs are well captured.After a very long time,heard blissful lyrics in a dubbed version of a movie.Thanks to Sirivenella.ARR's BGM is also terrific.He became soul to some of the scenes.D.O.P has done a breath-taking job.No doubt P.C.Sree Ram is called as 'Master'.Whenever P.C.Sree Ram and Mani join hands visuals are taken to next level.Take my bow Sree Ram Sir.Editing by Sreekar Prasad is good in songs and decent in total.VFX during the opening credits needs a special mention.Dialogues are passable.Art work is good.
Final Word:The film also have its share of flaws.The film's block point is very weak and it also looks like the film runs on episodes.The Screenplay is dragging at times but ARR and Nitya make up for that.This is definitely not the best of Mani Ratnam.But this can be called as his come back after a series of duds.Do watch the film in theaters to have a scintillating experience of perfect blend of music,visuals and acting.Definitely,you will come out with smile on your face.This BANGARAM is pure gold.............
