The poignant love story and it has become an odd term in Tamil cinema. The maverick directors like K Balachandar, Maniratnam and many others had made such films, but it got lost in time. Now director Jeeva Shankar comes up with Amara Kaaviyam that was praised by everyone in the industry much prior to the release. The film has been released with much publicity and let see how far it gratifies our expectations.

Story

Sathya is seen as a convict in handcuffs taken from prison to court. The story immediately chronicles back to his olden days, where it’s the celestial Ooty filled with beautiful and lovely school children. Sathya and Mia George fall in love and they are faced with severe oppositions from their family elders. Crossing with so many hurdles, they want their lives to be as they wish. Cut to present… We find Sathya eloping from the clutches of cops and running away. What actually happened to Sathya? Where is he running towards? This forms the crux of story.

Performance

The story is pretty gripping and emotional in many parts, but Sathya doesn’t fit the role perfectly. In fact, he fails to deliver the emotions that the characterisation of Jeeva he plays. But Mia George turns the spotlights on with an immense performance. It’s not just her beautiful looks, but she keeps has so much bound to her with an impeccable acting. Others in the cast have done their roles as it demands. Thambi Ramaiah is just okay.

Plus

Jeeva Shankar does a remarkable job with his writing. Having said that the film is based on the real life incident he had witnessed in his childhood. The screenplay gets gripping as the very opening scene; we are introduced to something serious. Mia George is the biggest plus in this film as her role is so much appealing and her performance is fantabulous. The other greatest strength of this film is Ghibran for his songs and background score make us melt over our hearts. Cinematography is so enchanting. More than anything, it’s the film’s climax that leaves us shocked and it remains in our memories even post-the show.

Minus

As mentioned earlier, it’s Sathya who could have done a better job. There are scenes, where he slightly fails to do the perfection. Moreover, this kind of roles should have been passed onto someone who is so handsome or who can carry it off with emotional depth? There is little sluggishness in the screenplay during flashback scenes, but that doesn’t affect it.

Overall, Amara Kaaviyam deserves appreciations for Jeeva Shankar offering a pure romantic drama sans violence and vulgarity. In spite of having some little minuses, the film remains to be a best one.

Verdict : A staunch poetic love story

Stars : 2.5/5