It’s just a boy meets girl story. But how they meet and how that meeting changes their lives is heartwarming.
(Disclaimer: I haven’t seen oh manapenNational Award Winner of Original, Tharun Bhaskar Pelli Chopulu. In a way, it’s good because, with remakes, watching the movie mostly becomes an exercise in comparison.)
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Despite the roots of Telugu cinema, Kartik Sundar’s debut film, oh manapen, Reminds me of Malayalam cinema. Trying to evoke a sense of warmth through simple, no-frills storytelling, we are now associated with filmmakers from Kerala. There is hardly anything that does not serve the purpose of the plot. No unnecessary action sequences. No independent comedy track. No narration-stopping songs. And, there’s nothing extraordinary at stake: it’s just a boy meets girl story. But how they meet and how that meeting changes their lives is heartwarming.
The film begins with Kartik (Harish Kalyan) and his family and friends rushing to the girl’s house for matchmaking. They struggle to find their way. Meanwhile, in Shruti’s (Priya Bhavani Shankar) house, there is a problem with the lock of the door of her room. After this Kartik finally reaches Shruti’s house. At the door, he sees her and introduces himself as “Payan” (the boy) before revealing his name. She says that she is “Ponnu” (girl). Just then, his pet pigeon pounces on his shirt. So, she has to go to his room to wash her. And, Shruti’s cousin, a little boy, accidentally locks his door. This is how “girl” and “boy” meet. They get trapped inside a room. Therefore, they start talking without a formal introduction. As they learn more about each other, the door opens. Kartik’s father tells him that they are in the wrong house! Shruti is not the girl he was supposed to meet.
oh manapen
- Director: Kartik Sundari
- Mould: Harish Kalyan, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Abhishek Kumar, Anbuthasan, Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikantan and others
- Story: Scrap man changes his way after meeting an enterprising girl
- Period: 140 minutes
However, towards the end of the film, we realize that Shruti Is The girl was about to meet Kartik. All the minor mishaps, including the pigeon on his shirt, were serious on the day of their meeting.
These happy coincidences flow one after the other. But after a while something seems to be wrong in the film. The writing appears to be the prime suspect. Character traits often seen in Tamil cinema. Karthik is trying to clear his dues in BE, so he doesn’t even know how to spell ‘thermodynamics’ when his father asks him. Kartik’s friend, who is also a duck like him, has to behave like a drunkard. He says something along the lines of “dry day drain sogam dhan da. Bloody unprofessional drinkers.” Kartik’s ex-girlfriend is a sponge who forces him to pay the parlor expenses. At one point, Kartik calls Shruti’s idea of a food truck business “restaurant on wheels”. The latter, an MBA gold-medallist, is super-impressed he called it. It’s hard not to doubt Shruti’s copywriting skills. The ending was also a little too convenient and a little over-the-top.
Yet despite all these odds, there are plenty of moments in the second half that make it likable. Harish Kalyan appears confident as a good-natured boy who slowly changes his ways because of the girl he meets. The character is reminiscent of one of Siddharth Mehra’s (Ranbir Kapoor) wake up sido.
However, I liked Priya Bhavani Shankar’s character and acting more. Considering female characters in Tamil cinema as insignificant and “strong female characters” generally talking about women empowerment, Shruti was refreshing. he is entrepreneur but also Real with its flaws and weaknesses. When Karthik tells her that it is okay to marry someone for dowry, she does not lecture him about the evils of dowry; Instead, she makes him realize how he doesn’t respect himself. When her ex-boyfriend who had left her without notice, comes back to apologize, she slaps him. “It’s not for breaking up. But for not doing it properly,” she tells him. She is soon back on her feet, trying to start a business. Although Kartik mends his ways because of her, Shruti is not his only redemption arc. Hope to see more such women on screen.
Oh Manapen is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar
.