Movie Review : Lover

 CAST

MANIKANDAN - ARUN
SRI GOURI PRIYA - DIVYA
KANNA RAVI – MADHAN
SARAVANAN – RAJA
GEETHA KAILASAM - KALA
HARISH KUMAR - SUHAIL
RINI - AISHU
NIKHILA SHANKAR - RAMYA
ARUNACHALESHWARAN – VISHWA
CREW
DIRECTOR – PRABHURAM VYAS
WRITER – PRABHURAM VYAS
DOP – SHREYAAS KRISHNA
MUSIC – SEAN ROLDAN
EDITOR – BARATH VIKRAMAN
BANNER – MILLION DOLLAR STUDIOS, MRP ENTERTAINMENT
PRODUCED BY - NAZERATH PASILIAN, MAGESH RAJ PASILIAN, YUVARAJ GANESAN
RELEASE - SAKTHI FILM FACTORY
PRO – YUVRAAJ

Arun and Divya have been in love since college. Now,  6 years, later, while she's successful in her IT job, Arun has left his and is looking for finance to set up his own coffee shop.

He comes from.a broken home with his dad (Saravanan) being a drunk and living with another woman while his mom slogs  at work to bring him up. 

Arun is very possesive and clingy about Divya and stalks her online, checks up on her movements all the while declaring his love for her,  interspersed with fits of rage of how she could decieve him when she lies about where she is. He dreams of marrying her soon, just as planned in college. This aspect further disturbs Divya, due to his growing possessiveness.

Perturbed by his behaviour, Divya finds  herself getting stifled and even scared of his rage. She is further embarassed when he displays jealousy and anger in front of her friends.

 But she gets caught up in a vicious circle of fear followed by  forgiveness, in the hope that he will change. 

But when she finally summons the courage to break up,  what happens?   What makes Divya finally take a decision? How does Arun take this rejection?

The movie is a commendable take on modern day life and the concept of love and lovers in the present day.  Prabhuram Vyas gives you a, peek into the lives of a group of youngsters ( Harish, Harini, Nikhila) from the IT sector, and  a travel blogger colleague ( Kanna Ravi), who are all friends of Divya.

 How the pressures of life can take a toll on the mental state and affect relatioships is shown in a slice of life manner, taking us through the journey of these characters.

The well chosen situations from small outings to holiday trips, which add to the couple's conflict, the vast difference in their family backgrounds, belief systems and changing expectations  from life are all well brought out by Vyas.

The cast is well chosen and all actor do  full justice to their roles. Manikandan excels as the lover losing control on his life, unable to reconcile to the changing situations. A fantastic performance that brings Arun to life.

Sri Gouri Priya from Tollywood who debuts in Tamil gives a remarkable  and nuanced performance that is convincing and credible.

Kanna Ravi as the cool dude who has a past, shines in  a measured performance.

The dialogues are well written, the camerawork is superb ( especially in  the Gokarna trip), and Sean Roldens songs and bgm add value to the cinematic experience.

However, in the second half,  the situations seem  repetitive and the movie seems overly stretched with similar dialogues and scenes introduced as if to stretch the narration. Divya's vacillations begin to jar a bit.

However, the emotional journey of Arun and his mother,  stand out towards the end. 

The ending of the film is also noteworthy, with the story not traveling the conventional route.

Excellent performances, a variety of characters and their arcs, a peek into the modern day mindset of city- based youngsters, and an attempt to delve into differences in college love and the reality check of adult life,  how the emotional baggage of parents can affect their children and the  importance of a support system of friends, are some of the aspects that make Lover well worth a watch.