Movie Review : DeAr
Arjun ( GV Prakash) from Chennai, weds Deepika ( Aishwarya Rajesh) from Coonoor, after an arranged match. He lives with his mom Laxmi ( Rohini) , brother ( Kali Venkat ) anni and nephew. After the wedding he discovers a problem. His wife snores in her sleep. The problem is increased as he's a light sleeper who needs 8 hrs of sleep being a news reader who needs to look fresh on tv.
They decide to solve the issue by sleeping on alternate days. But the situation only gets worse. Both are sleep deprived and one day Arjun loses his job when he falls asleep on the toilet seat when he is supposed to go on a live interview with the Finance Minister.
From there things begin to head south as he loses his job, becomes the object of memes and public ridicule. As a result, he decides to divorce his wife despite opposition from her and even his own family.
In the midst of this there is also the reappearance of an estranged father (Thalaivasal Vijay).
What happens next? Do the couple get divorced?
The movie is an aeathetically filmed outing, with not only easy- on -the- eye visuals and trendy locations but also natural sound quality with synch sound adding to the realistic viewing experience. The dialogues too are crisp with a touch of reality. Characters dont shout unnecessarily (as is usually the case in many movies), and are not melodramatic even in the toughest of situations, which is refreshing.
The dynamics between the two families of Deepu and Arjun is again a refreshing take, laced with humourous moments.
The film is essentially the story of 3 couples and their inter-personal relationships and makes for an interesting watch as each pair evolves slowly but steadily.
The snoring angle could have been differently handled but then perhaps the story could not have been stretched if a quicker solution had been found. Basically, it would seem that though humour is the medium through which the story is conveyed, there is an underlying message describing the true meaning of love and what the depth of a relationship and marriage is based on. To that end, the film engages and entertains.
The lead pair of Aishwarya and GV Prakash do a great job in lending credibility to their characters. GV Prakash has played out his role differently from his previous outings and his performance would make it to his best acts list. Be it expressions, voice modulation or body language, he is on point till the end.
He is ably assisted by the super talented Aishwarya Rajesh who brings not just authenticity but also vulnerability, despair, hope and an independant spiritedness to her role.
Kaali Venkat is a delight to watch as usual and the actor only seems to be getting better with every film and this role adds to the variety in his vast body of work.
Rohini beings gravitas and vulnerability to her role and her scenes with her daughters-in-law and sons make for delightful viewing, touching a chord in many a place.
Though there are lags in the screenplay in the second half and though comparisons with Goodnight do cross one's mind, the overall handling of the plot and the screenplay overrides things.
An entertaining take on modern day marriages, inter-personal relationships and the true meaning of love that surpasses Time and is common across generations, DeAr is an interesting, clean and entertaining family drama befitting a watch by family audiences.
Rating 3.5 /5
DEAR - CAST AND CREW
PRODUCTION - NUTMEG PRODUCTIONS
RELEASE - ROMEO PICTURES
PRODUCERS - VARUN TRIPURANENI, ABHISHEK RAMISETTY, G PRUTHVIRAJ
CAST
GV PRAKASH KUMAR as ARJUN
AISHWARYA RAJESH as DEEPIKA
KAALI VENKAT as SARAVANAN
NANDHINI as KALPANA
THALAIVAASAL VIJAY as SHANMUGAM
ROHINI as LAKSHMI
ILAVARASU as RANGARAJ
GEETHA KAILASAM as VASANTHI
J KAMALESH as SANTHOSH
ABDOOL LEE as PANDA
MAGALAKSHMI SUDARSANAN as JENNIFER
CREW
WRITER & DIRECTOR - ANAND RAVICHANDRAN
DOP - JAGADEESH SUNDARAMURTHY
MUSIC - GV PRAKASH KUMAR
EDITOR - RUKESH
BANNER - NUTMEG PRODUCTIONS
PRODUCED BY - VARUN TRIPURANENI, ABHISHEK RAMISETTY, G PRUTHVIRAJ
RELEASE - ROMEO PICTURES
PRO - YUVRAAJ
