I saw the Bollywood remake of this film as a kid, but after seeing the original Tamil version, I can say for sure that this one is even better! The lead actors have absolutely incredible chemistry and there's this beautiful innocence in the relationship they portrayed in the film. Madhavan and Shalini created fire on screen in this movie. I had a smile on my face throughout the scenes depicting their romance. Also, this movie is family-friendly and there are no excessive public displays of affection. The language was not known to me, and this was also the first time I was able to sit through a movie with subtitles. I had tried it once before but gave up midway. Here, I was so engrossed in the story and the characters that I hardly paused the film.
The romance was so organic and nothing felt forced. From the first look, the first conversation, the proposal to their marriage, Shalini and Madhavan created magic together. So much so, that every time they had separate scenes in the movie, I longed to see them together again. I am usually very skeptical when it comes to romance in movies, so I was pleasantly surprised to see something like this happen. The story, the direction, the acting, everything is of a superlative degree in this film. Incredible is an understatement for this movie.
A.R Rahman creates an almost perfect album. I have grown up hearing these tracks in Hindi and it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane while listening to these tracks. These songs will never grow old. Every track (except for one) found its own spot in the film and it did not seem like the filmmakers were using the tunes as fluff. The songs pushed the story forward and the chemistry of the lead actors, again, did most of the work on the visual front. That, backed with the picturesque cinematography, turned all the songs into snippets of viewing pleasure. When compared to the music of the Bollywood remake, Saathiya, it seems that even though the music is the same, the lyrics are different, thus making most of the songs drastically different. Gulzar writes phenomenal lyrics, but there's a different kind of magic in the original lyrics. These lyrics, or what I gleaned from the English translations, had a soul of its own. That paired with the lead actors, the innocence in their eyes, the looks shared between them, their conversations... made this movie a masterpiece.
Words will fall short if I try to compliment Madhavan and Shalini. Both were perfectly suited for their characters and left an imprint on me with their talent. The supporting actors were also well suited for their roles and nothing, not a thing of the main story, felt out of place. I really wish more movies in India were like this. Simple, real, innocent. Suffice it to say, Alai Payuthey is in a league of its own, and even though Saathiya is a good tribute, this movie and the beautiful feelings associated with it, cannot be replicated that easily.
The romance was so organic and nothing felt forced. From the first look, the first conversation, the proposal to their marriage, Shalini and Madhavan created magic together. So much so, that every time they had separate scenes in the movie, I longed to see them together again. I am usually very skeptical when it comes to romance in movies, so I was pleasantly surprised to see something like this happen. The story, the direction, the acting, everything is of a superlative degree in this film. Incredible is an understatement for this movie.
A.R Rahman creates an almost perfect album. I have grown up hearing these tracks in Hindi and it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane while listening to these tracks. These songs will never grow old. Every track (except for one) found its own spot in the film and it did not seem like the filmmakers were using the tunes as fluff. The songs pushed the story forward and the chemistry of the lead actors, again, did most of the work on the visual front. That, backed with the picturesque cinematography, turned all the songs into snippets of viewing pleasure. When compared to the music of the Bollywood remake, Saathiya, it seems that even though the music is the same, the lyrics are different, thus making most of the songs drastically different. Gulzar writes phenomenal lyrics, but there's a different kind of magic in the original lyrics. These lyrics, or what I gleaned from the English translations, had a soul of its own. That paired with the lead actors, the innocence in their eyes, the looks shared between them, their conversations... made this movie a masterpiece.
Words will fall short if I try to compliment Madhavan and Shalini. Both were perfectly suited for their characters and left an imprint on me with their talent. The supporting actors were also well suited for their roles and nothing, not a thing of the main story, felt out of place. I really wish more movies in India were like this. Simple, real, innocent. Suffice it to say, Alai Payuthey is in a league of its own, and even though Saathiya is a good tribute, this movie and the beautiful feelings associated with it, cannot be replicated that easily.