29- the review

29

An age which is 9 years from 20 and 1 year away from turning 30, which again marks a new phase of life. There are so many stereotypes associated with people turning thirty.

If it's a man, he is mostly expected to settle himself and his family financially. He should be in a well-paying job so that a girl will accept him and marry him. Whereas for a woman, the first expectation is marriage. If she is 29, society would see her as an Avvaiyar. I'm glad it's changing now, but that thinking hasn't died yet.

So, this film, 29, directed by Ratna Kumar, starring Retro fame Vidhu, Preethi Asrani, Master Mahendran, Aadhira Pandilakshmi, and others.

This film is about a 29-year-old guy who is clueless about who he is. Even after studying agriculture, he finds no scope for it. In the small city he lives in, he carries multiple identities. Currently, being 29 is his identity.

But how can that be his identity?

Everyone offers him a mask: as a student, a boy belonging to a particular caste, a masculine man. But these are just titles by which society defines him. At the end of the day, who is he?

But what's interesting here is that it's a love story, but also a story about a man facing an existential crisis and seeking answers for it.

Through love, does he find himself?

Does love become his achievement?

Or is it just a direction to find his purpose?

That is 29, I believe.

The first half is a breezy love story between ambitious Viji and identity-crisis-ridden Satya, before the arrival of dating apps and the rapid social media connections we have today. A time when love was simpler. A day apart felt like a year. Simple gifts felt like treasures carried eternally. The first half moves slowly and steadily. The scenes are made very naturally and are blissful to watch.

The interval block felt like the director intended something bigger and more impactful. But that wasn't really carried out, at least personally, I felt.

The second half completely shifts from a love story to a very common trope where the hero stands for his people. So viewers might get disappointed as it feels completely different from the love story they watched in the first half.

But only later do we realize that the second half isn't a random shift, but a part of the hero's journey. The whole movie is a journey where he searches for himself. However, that intention felt out of place in a few areas because of the way certain scenes were constructed. Bringing in an antagonist role with the usual villain trope for such an intimate storyline felt a bit off. Predictable scenes and already-seen situations from various films were factors that caused the film to lose its footing.

However, Dividing the film into chapters is another good idea by Ratna Kumar, offering the feel of reading a novel. For the general audience, it also provides a clear division in the arrangement of events, making the story easier to follow.

I loved the way the posters were designed for each chapter. I'll get you the details of the creative hands behind them.

The ending returns to its own essence and concludes in a memorable and sweet manner.

About the performances, Vidhu as Satya — first of all, it feels delightful to see a new face on screen. Though he has acted in two films as a lead and in negative characters, this film presents him in a different light. A fragmented , gentle, innocent 29-year-old individual seeking something to become someone. He beautifully carries that innocence.

Preethi as Viji, aka Vijayalakshmi, adds beauty to the film with her comforting smile and performance. Her efforts to learn the language are evident in her dialogue delivery, which should be appreciated. Her character isn't just a showpiece. Instead, Ratna has beautifully created mindful traits that make her unique and beautiful, not just outwardly beautiful. 

Still, the performances of the leads could have been better in a few places, which would have positively impacted the overall story.

The dialogues deserve special attention. They aren't really orchestrated or built. They flow casually like waves, sounding like natural conversations.

A few might feel they're over the top. But isn't it a crime to ignore and not admire those over-the-top lines which are poetry too?

One such dialogue is:

"Her lips looks like "Thirupi pota Thirukural"

Ahhh, I get you, my readers. A few might find this cringe, but I think we have to appreciate his thinking as well 😄 and shouldn't hide our smile once we hear that dialogue. Not only these quirky dialogues, there are many more that sound simple but carry deep meaning.

For example:

1) There is a scene where the heroine asks the hero:

"What do you want to become when you grow old?"

To which the hero replies:

"I wished to become old only."

Read it again 😁 to get that.

2) When you have some goal in your life, the search and effort to run towards it is always a great feeling.

3) Especially the last dialogue at the ending, where the heroine looks at the hero and says:

"Though you praise me by calling me the moon,A peacock, Art, At the end of the day, I'm just a woman.

And you too, though you call yourself, A lion, Tiger,King. But, At the end of the day, you are just a man.  This world has romanticized love so much that we forgot to look at other greater things in life". 

OMG, he has made the whole universe wake up from the dream and realize reality. So yes, this deserves appreciation.

To talk about music, it's by Sean Roldan. Again, a great composition from him. Just like how a poet mindfully inserts words according to the tone and purpose of a poem, Roldan too beautifully picks each note and tune according to Ratna's artistic vision. Both complement each other really well.

Seelay Seelay and Poo Paadal are gentle breezes that can make you feel chills even in this scorching Chennai heat. So please do listen if you want such an eternal experience without paying the current bill.

The cinematography felt like a dream — a dream many writers, or let's say creators, would have while writing their piece. And that dream has been given vision by Madhesh Manickam, adding warmth and emotional complexity to the film in most of the frames.

More than the screenplay, it is the ideas he handles with nuance that make Ratna Kumar continue to show his versatility. 

From questioning who we are,

To naming mind voice and refusing to glorify love

To questioning whether love is just lust or something beyond that.

Especially a scene where the heroine asks him why he loves her.

He replies that he doesn't know.

Then she says that every time he describes her, he compares her eyes and features to beautiful things, but never says anything about her as a person. She expects him to point out the qualities that made him fall in love with her.

Later, he realizes what made him fall in love with her. It's her character.

To  talking about the fear society places upon someone because of their age. Also about the generational shifts, how a 21 year old viji wants preserve individuality within love, whereas satya who sees viji, as an achievement, want this feeling and person to be permanent. 

The fear of seeing others run ahead while you are left behind, not even knowing where you are.

And finally Beautifully handling the existential crisis within us.

Not by offering solutions.

But by offering us a mirror.

A space to think.

Just remember,

Thinking isn't enough. Action too.

A step towards knowing what your goal is.

That is 29.

Though it stumbles in places and loses focus at times, as it has a lot happening at once—an identity crisis, parental tensions, the lake revival movement, and the hero's fight against his enemies, this occasionally dilutes the soul of the film, the relationship between Viji and Satya. Still, 29 finds its strength in its ideas, dialogues, music, and emotional honesty, making it a beautiful watch.