Lover Movie Review – Only Kollywood

Relationship dramas in Tamil cinema have mostly come with an element in them which makes them an added advantage, but director Vyaas who built a base for him for the web series Livin, has now made his feature film debut with Lover. The film is based on a love-hate relationship between Arun (Manikandan) and Divya (Sri Gouri Priya), and what keeps them together while setting them apart at the same time.

The first half of the film flows at a breakneck pace with terrific situations, great dialogues and perfect representation of the characters together. There is simply no air in the first half, as it is a perfect representation of today’s youth, and how they get across the hurdles in their own style. The way in which the lead characters are handled, and how they keep the snake and ladder part of their relationship going is very interesting to watch. It is in the second half that the film begins to stutter, and there are some slow portions in the film which feel like they could have been trimmed a bit, especially when the runtime extends to over 2.5 hours. There is also an overdose of smoking and drinking scenes throughout the film. The climax however, is redeeming, and there is a good amount of uniqueness and flair in how the film attains its closure.

Manikandan delivers a superb performance in a role that is tough to like, and though his characterization has been done in  a way that people cannot develop a liking to it, the actor does a fabulous job especially in the scenes where he is loud. Sri Gouri Priya is another welcome addition to Kollywood’s list of impressive performers, and she shows that she is here to stay. Kanna Ravi is another superb addition to the film and he has a stylish role to play which he essays very well. The film has very good cast support, with Geetha Kailasam as the mother doing a fine job as well.

The film’s big boost is received from the music by Sean Roldan, who complements the emotions with excellent songs and a fine score, which is so good to watch with. The cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna is another plus point.

On the whole, Lover is an interesting and impressive relationship drama that would have done even better if the second half was trimmed and carried out well. The film gets a lot of things right though, and helps itself through with real emotions throughout.

Lover Movie Review Rating: 3.5/5