Good visuals and music by AR Rahman but script is not intense enough in this latest Maniratnam outing. Karthi and Aditi shine; this is Aditi's career-best, no doubt. The script is average and the characters have a 90s style persona to them. Cant really help wondering is the movie trying to connect to current gen youths or youths of the past?
Katru Veliyidai fails to connect with the classic Maniratnam romance in the past where he wrote the script for the characters, adopting a film making style that is apt for the script rather than going along with latest trends. the characters here are fine but the romance and character interconnections is solely missing. As a result this movie comes out as a character study rather than a romantic film .
Recall watching Roja - and earlier, all of Mani Sir's films - and being awed, charmed and floored by his craft. Today, if his films - post Alaipayuthey, Kannathil Muthamittal and Aaytha Ezhuthu won international awards but fared poorly in Asia, thats because today's young people aren't the Arvindswamy or the Madhubala types, maybe they are not even Madhavan /shalini types... What this film does is merge the the characters from alaipayuthey and Roja to come up with new stereotypes that is supposedly apt for the late 2010s
The movie could have done better if it has more action and Pakistan jail scenes intermixed with with the flashback romance.