29 TamilYogi Review: Rathna Kumar is always been captivated by whirling messes of emotions and 29 takes it up a notch with a surprising level of sincerity. The movie takes place before the era of Instagram and dating apps, when romance was still a time when people would send late night text messages, wait for a response, dwell on what they had said, and then not know if they had been understood. This is the feeling of the past that makes the film. But there’s more personal in the romance, it’s the story of a 29 year old man who’s lost his identity, his purpose and his self belief. Vidhu is convincing in his vulnerability to that confusion while Preethi Asrani is warm and holds the relationship on track. Also, Sean Roldan’s music lifts a few moments. But the screenplay counterbalances the emotionally honest moments that are so prevalent throughout the film with exhausting diversions and a half, uneven drama, and ideas that needed far tighter storytelling.
It is about a 29-year-old bachelor who is feeling lost and unseen. He’s trying to find himself, but still he’s wandering around aimlessly. In this nebulous period, love comes and alters his emotional atmosphere. The question the movie asks is: does this relationship hinder his development or facilitate him in his quest to find himself? I enjoyed the main idea as the subject of identity is a topic that a lot of young men are dealing with these days, but they don’t talk about it. The movie constantly reminds us that there is more to life than just letting it wash over us, and that each person needs to create an identity for himself. This underlying philosophy lends the film authenticity.
The first thing I was struck by was the realness of the atmosphere. The portrayal of the romance before the advent of social media is believable and strangely satisfying. Early on, it is presented realistically how awkward it is to be in a love-filled relationship by text, how misunderstandings get in the way of the emotions, how close friends slowly become more like friends and lovers, and the complications of such a change. Those scenes have a sense of emotional familiarity. Rathna Kumar’s love for that period is evident and the nostalgia is transferred well to the big screen.
Vidhu and Preethi Asrani’s chemistry is great in this movie. Vidhu plays the character convincingly, particularly, during the middle part of his film, when the character suffers from inner turmoil more. Many may remember him from his not so great role in Retro but here he has a chance to play a more emotional lead role, and that’s where he excels. Preethi Asrani’s expressions and mannerisms add softness and charm. The physical difference between the two doesn’t seem that large, and their connection seems real enough to maintain several romantic moments.
One of its other assets is Sean Roldan’s background score. The music always enhances the mood of the film, and not overpower it. Three songs really stuck in my head after the movie was over. Also technically, the movie appears clean and clean-cut. I loved that Rathna Kumar does not sell the message of identity with a big clap and a shout-out. Rather, he sees it through the lens of romance, insecurity, jealousy, dependency, etc.
But, even with all these fascinating concepts, the film is extremely underwhelming due to its script. This is my biggest let down. The running time is more than 2:30 hours and the story can be very tedious. It’s very effective in the first half hour, but the film never really gets under way after that. The episodes continue to progress, but the viewers’ bond to the character of the protagonist gradually deteriorates.
The second half is even more haphazard. The hero is emotional, and at one point, it too goes off adrift. I knew what the director was trying to get across but it was not shot very cinematically. There are a few that are more philosophical and not very interesting and the storytelling does not have the flow that it did early on. The film then enters a dramatic overdrive which is not realistic.
Mahendran, who is almost a protagonist in the latter parts, is a typical case in point. The film does briefly mention the expectations people have of what a former classmate will do when they start thriving in life, and his jealousy towards the hero and manipulative behavior was quite promising. The writing, however, starts to get too cinematic. One in particular was unbelievable and it was: “He’s nothing compared to you, but he’s steadily getting better. Just file a case stating there was some issue during Ladies Week, and we’ll deal with him later in jail.” The film quickly turns this into a sensational situation, with the issue being the news all the time the next morning, and the violence taking place within the prison. I was hoping for the film to delve deeper into the motives and implications for such acts but they never do.
I really loved one part in which they drew a heart. The movie illustrates that the heart symbol, which is widely used all over is not real anatomy before showing the real existence of a human heart. It was interesting to look at and clever to use a metaphor. Sadly, the subsequent scenes are not as emotionally charged.
After some time, another thing was getting on my nerves was the constant narration of the mind voice. The movie would nearly be a copy of the style of a Gautham Vasudev Menon film where characters talk to themselves throughout. Using the word Chille again and again for various instances is also a distraction after a while. The writing, more specifically the emotions, is repetitive, especially since the heroine mimics the speech of her character.
I can’t say that the whole film is not effective, even though it has these flaws. I liked its ambition and its efforts to explore concepts of self worth, emotional reliance and masculine insecurities in a romantic drama format. There was clearly something worth thinking about here and a few instances of emotional intelligence are present in Rathna Kumar. The issue is the ideas are never developed into a coherent and fun-to-watch film.
To me 29 is still a movie with a lot of well-intentioned stuff, interesting things to see, some good emotional moments. Meanwhile it is frustrating as it’s not always there when it is needed and not always to the full extent. I’m not averse to the movie, but it was often frustrated by its lack of a tight focus and emotional depth that would have benefited from a better narrative structure.
Rating: 2.75/5
