Romance is perhaps the most exploited genre in the modern day cinema. It is also the most criticised and appreciated genre among the audience. When the movie was announced last year by Premkumar whose filmography includes the likes of Vaaranam Aayiram and Ayan, with Vijay sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan in lead roles, one thing that excited me was nostalgic feel of 90s which the makers promised to deliver. I am a huge fan of Rhythm, Kaadhalar Dhinam, Kaadhal desham, Roja, Bombay, Alaipayuthe and all those beautiful movies in 1990s and was eager to watch how the film turned out. It’s a very simple plot about a reunion of 1996 batchmates in which highschool sweethearts Ram (VJS) and Jaani (Trisha) meet after a gap of 22 years. As a debutant, Prem Kumar had rendered a nearly flawless movie with a highly engaging script. His directorial style reminds me of Mani Ratnam, Gautham Menon and Rajeev Menon. He was able to pull of a second half with only two lead actors. D.O.P is simply stunning with some poetic images of Chennai metro, desolated streets and flyovers in Chennai at night. Other technical department is also good. Govind Menon is the most underutilised music director in Malayalam cinema and 96 justifies that. Orginal score is perfect and the songs like ‘Life of Ram’ and ‘Kaadhale Kaadhale’ are perfectly placed, choreographed and works big time. All the actors delivered excellent performances especially Trisha who delivered her career best performance- I have never seen her so beautiful in a movie. Her performance is one of the pillars of the movie. For Vijay Sethpathi, it’s a welcome relief from his last big budget outing ‘Junga’. Even the eyes of sethupathi emotes in some scenes. Climax is another highlight of the movie. Some may feel it abrupt and rushed, but to me, it really ended on high note. 96 belongs to old school love stories with emphasis on emotions, conversation between the lead duo and sometimes even silence! It’s a delight to watch a movie like 96 once in a while, when many new age filmmakers emphasise on breakup, intimate sequences, ‘Vere Level Films’ set on foreign locations and sometimes forcing the equality of lust and love in their craft. No movie other than Vaaranam Aayiram and Joker emotionally connected with me like 96. More than a romantic film, 96 is perhaps the most beautiful film irrespective of genre that I have watched in recent times. Its just PURE UNADULTERATED LOVE. A bliss to watch! 4.5/5 BLOCKBUSTER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR BIG SCREEN WATCH.
