Film: Ambikapathy
Starring: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol
Director: Anand L Rai
Producer: Krishika Lulla
Banner: Eros International
Music: A.R.Rehman
What's a love story without some
fun, heartaches and reality checks? Most love stories of our times pass
through these three phases, and by then, either the girl or the boy
realises they're not meant to be together, and move on with their lives.
However, in some rare cases, we see a
love story enter the fourth phase - when you realise that love doesn't
age, but people do in a relationship.
Anand L. Rai's "Ambikapathy", the Tamil
dubbed version of "Raanjhanaa", is a simple love story of a small-town
boy and a girl, who in the process of figuring out the thin line between
love and friendship, uncover stronger feelings for each other.
We've had oodles of love stories
focusing on the communal divide between the lovers, but "Ambikapathy" is
largely about the divide in the ideologies of the youth of modern
India. It's the story of small town values versus urban philosophies.
What happens when a girl with
city-intellect is pitted against the conventional yet archaic values of a
small-town boy in the name of love? This is what precisely Rai depicts
in this breezy entertainer packed with pain, laughs and little
melodrama.
"Ambikapathy" scores an ace in two
departments - casting and music. There would have been a third one if
the second half was shorter and less melancholic. Spearheaded by
Dhanush, who was irreplaceable in his role, and a brilliant supporting
cast of Swara and Ayub, the film helps Sonam unleash her acting prowess.
Rahman's music, needless to say, becomes
an integral part of the film's composition and helps us connect with
the soul of the film.
Just like his previous film "Tanu Weds
Manu", Rai's second directorial venture celebrates life in the alleys of
Benaras, on the banks of the Ganga, giving us a slice-of-life of small
town adventures.
Some of the best moments come from the
scenes between Dhanush, Ayub and Swara.
The camaraderie between them may pop up question in many as to how could
two guys use a girl for their whims and fancies, but if you look at it
from a small-town's point of view, it's one of the best friendship
moments ever captured on screen.
You could easily write-off Rai's
protagonist, who like a love-struck puppy, stalks Sonam Kapoor, but it
doesn't rule out the probability that most small-town love stories are
akin to what was portrayed to us. If you haven't known a friend who cut
his wrist or ever attempted suicide over love, then it's unlikely that
you will understand what lies beneath the layers of the emotion.
For people who attach only a love story
tag to "Ambikapathy", there is so much you didn't understand in the film
or could've gotten bored with because of the disengaging second half.
Love is merely used as a tool to help us
understand the complexity of modern-day relationships (including
father-daughter or father-son) and politics.
There are two heroes in the film -
Dhanush and A.R. Rahman, and both wear the south Indian label like a
medal of honour and never allow it come in between their work. With his
flawless performance as a Benarasi Brahmin boy, Dhanush kicks all the
south Indian cliches out of the window, while Rahman helps us connect
with the film more on an emotional level