OK Kanmani Movie Preview
15th April, 2000 – Mani Ratnam’s highly celebrated urban romance drama Alaipayuthey hit screens and went on to become a blockbuster at the box-office and also the critics’ favourite. Madhavan got a major breakthrough in his career and went on feature in a string of films helmed by Mani Ratnam. Fifteen years and two days later, now, Ok Kanmani is all set for worldwide release on April 17th. Mani Ratnam has struggled to taste box-office success in his last two films – Kadal and Raavanan and is desperate to make a comeback with his new film, which is billed as a breezy urban romance drama on contemporary relationships, starring Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen in the lead roles.
The film also marks the comeback of PC Sreeram with Mani Ratnam. The duo lastly worked together in Alaipayuthey. PC’s cinematography is widely acclaimed for its variety of vibrant colour tones that made the movie alive and youthful. Now, the first look promos and posters of Ok Kanmani also suggest a similar kind of attempt by the team with a reinvigorating passion.
“Ok Kanmani is about contemporary relationships. If you say it is similar to Alaipayuthey, of course it is. It may be Alaipayuthey 2. But, Ok Kanmani will be totally different in terms of attitude, characters and set up,” said Mani Ratnam who is hailed as the master of showcasing urban ‘romance’ on screen.
Ok Kanmani has been shot with live sound and all the actors have spoken in Tamil on the sets. The music by AR Rahman is already declared a chart-buster and the songs are played repeatedly in radio stations.
“O Kadhal Kanmani will reflect the modern mindset of urban India and present a provocative take on the institution of marriage itself,” said Vairamuthu.
Dulquer and Nithya
“Nithya Menen has a strong character. Her Tamil is clean. She grasps things quickly and is lively on the sets. Shalini in real life is more or less the same as her character in the film Alaipayuthey. Likewise, it happened in Ok Kanmani with Nithya Menen,” said Mani Ratnam
“Dulquer is very real and the big bonus is that he is a fantastic actor. He is a Madras paiyyan,” said Mani Ratnam.
The film is releasing in over 350 screens in Tamil Nadu by Studio Green, who will be presenting their first Mani Ratnam film under their banner. Ok Kanmani also has a tough competition in Raghava Lawrence’s Kanchana 2 which is being released by Sri Thenandal Films. Both films have different target audiences and good word-of-mouth will catalyse the box-office prospects.
Written by Surendhar MK