Review: Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal is a musical treat

S Saraswathi says Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal lacks the intensity expected of a Vasanth film, but makes up for it with its exceptional music. 

‘Come and fall in love’ invites the trailer of director Vasanth’s Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal. And watching it on the big screen, you do fall in love, but not with the story or the characters, you fall in love with the beautiful lyrics, the memorable songs and the breathtaking visuals.

Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal (MPMK) is written and directed by National Award winning director Vasanth, whose penchant for love stories is well known.

The film stars Arjun, Cheran, Vemal, and Muktha Bhanu along with newcomers Surveen Chawla and Lasini in the lead roles.  Director Vasanth's son Ritvik plays a cameo role, supported by Apppukutty, Sathyan, Thambi Ramaiah and John Vijay.  Bhojan K Dinesh handles the cinematography and editing is by S N Fazil.

Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal is a story about love featuring three couples, set in the backdrop of different landscapes, by the seaside, in the mountains and on the plains.  The film opens in the year 2016, with actor Vemal narrating incidents that occurred in the lives of these couples over the last few years.  Thus the entire film is in the form of a narration.

We are introduced to the first couple, Varun (Vemal) and Anjana (Lasini) in a beautiful hill station. Varun, who is a chartered accountant, meets and falls in love with Anjana, who is also a CA working in his father’s office.  Unfortunately, she is in love with someone else and is already engaged.

The story of the second couple Guna (Cheran) and Malliga (Muktha Bhanu) is set in a small town by the seaside.  Guna is a social activist who runs an organisation that helps ex-convicts to start a new life.  His dedication and sincerity for his work leaves him no time for love or marriage, thus shattering the dreams of poor Malliga who is in love with him.

The last couple, Harris (Arjun) and Divya (Surveen Chawla), lives in the plains.  Harris is a reputed swimming coach, who is training his star pupil, Divya to win an Olympic Gold Medal. They are madly in love with each other, so what is the twist in their story?  We learn this and more as the story progresses.

What is really surprising is that in spite of the large number of characters, the film is extremely slow paced. Some of the scenes really seem to drag and it gets tiresome.

Though none of the performances stand out, everybody seems to have done their bit. In fact, except for Vemal, who of late has become unimaginative and boring, everyone else has performed well, including newcomers Surveen Chawla and Lasini.

Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is the only saving grace of an otherwise ordinary film. Every song has its own unique flavour and is incredible.

The beautiful lyrics make them even more romantic, especially Kaadhal Endhan Kaadhal and Unakkaagave Uyir Vaazhgiren.

Nandini Srikar’s amazing vocals in Aaha Kaadhal Konji Pesudhe definitely deserves a special mention. The song Mazhai Mazhai has been picturised beautifully on a dashing Arjun and a young Surveen Chawla.  MPMK definitely has songs you want to listen to over and over again.

Director Vasanth has always been a trendsetter with his heartwarming stories of love and romance. Be it Keladi Kanmani, Aasai, or Rhythm, he has never followed conventional standards.  He is known for exploring the different facets of love through his films. In Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal, he has attempted to highlight the fact that sacrifice is greater than love.  And love is all about giving.

But, unfortunately, what comes across does not seem very rational. He has not been able to bring out that depth of emotion required of such a sacrifice.

The passionate intensity that characterised his earlier films seems to be missing. Though Vasanth fails to recreate the old magic, Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal is undoubtedly a beautiful gift for music lovers.

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