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EDITOR'S PICK
`Kalyana
Samayal Saadham`: Bold, quirky, entertaining
Rating: ****
What makes a man a `man`'? The premise of the boldly entertaining "Kalyana
Samayal Saadham" surrounds whether the answer to the question is a man's
ability to perform in bed.
The film's narrative captures scenes from a south Indian arranged marriage and
helps us understand that the true definition of a man goes beyond his manhood.
Walking a tight rope between a romantic comedy and an adult comedy, the film
marries the two genres with a modern-day attitude and leaves a lasting effect.
At heart, the film is a love story of a soon-to-be-married couple - Raghu (Prasanna)
and Meera (Lekha), who have to deal with a very personal problem weeks before
their wedding. When Raghu comes to learn that he suffers from 'performing
anxiety', his idea of a post-marital life crumbles to pieces. But Meera stands
by him and so do his friends.
In "Kalyana Samayal Saadham", a modern-day romance is pitted against
traditional values. In the world of Facebook and Twitter, do you give preference
to century's old cultural doctrines to please your parents or stand up and say
'no'? Or is there a way you can try to be in vogue without having to compromise
with your tradition? Answers to these questions are subtly put forth here
reinstating the fact that culture and contemporary ideologies can co-exist.
Prasanna neither roots for arranged marriages nor does he prove that love
marriages promise happiness. Focusing on the issues that create havoc in an
arranged wedding, he also highlights the trivial things about which people in
love fight all the time.
As a filmmaker, it is very important not to take sides and this film's director
scores an ace in not doing so. He instead allows the audience to choose what is
apt for them without trying to be preachy.
Another interesting aspect of the film is that it allows you to see a south
Indian wedding through the eyes of two incompatible generations (parents and
children). I think it is only in Indian weddings that the parents want to take
ownership of everything when it ideally belongs to the couple.
Prasanna takes a stance against this and subtly uses his characters to drive the
point across, again without trying to be moralistic but with a great sense of
humour.
When Raghu discovers that he suffers from 'performance anxiety', he feels
stripped off his ability to perform in bed. His immediate reaction is proof to
what most men think in such circumstances and he feels less manly. But Raghu is
complemented by a stronger character played by Meera, who admits that sex is
important to her, but she is ready to help him overcome his problem because she
loves him. Here, love is not the pleasure derived out of sex, but out of
togetherness.
One needs guts to handle a controversial subject such as this and since Prasanna
pulled it off with unparalleled sensitivity, he proves that he has got them.
It's risky to use comedy to underplay the subject at hand but thanks to the use
of clean yet naughty humour, it works in the favour of the film. The humour is
so good that you would mostly laugh with the jokes.
Love in "Kalyana Samayal Saadham" is not melodramatic; it's cute and
akin to modern times. It reminds us of the times we live in where changing the
relationship status on Facebook is as important as any other activity in our
lives.
The characters in the film make you smile. When was the last time you connected
with the characters in a Tamil film? If you want your cinematic appetite to be
satisfied, you shouldn't miss "Kalyana Samayal Saadham".
Tamil actor Prasanna Venkatesan, who plays a bridegroom in the upcoming Tamil romantic-comedy "Kalyana Samayal Saadham" (KSS) -- a story about a big fat south Indian wedding, says he missed remarrying his wife-cum-actor Sneha on screen.Read More