Cheliyaa Review – Lifeless Love Story

BOTTOM LINE
Lifeless Love Story

OUR RATING
2/5

CENSOR
‘U’Certified, 2 hrs 27 mins

How is Karthi’s performance?
Karthi’s performance is a mixed bag in the movie. There are scenes where he has done well, but there are also many moments where he looks completely misfit. He tries his best without any doubt, but that feels so out of place. Surely a better choice could have been made for his character to be engaging in a better way.

Direction By Mani Ratnam?
Ace director Mani Ratnam still has an awe-inspiring visual sense but as far as putting together an engaging narrative is considered, he is regressing. It could be due to bad casting choice, as the “chemistry” between actors never looked like a problem in his last attempt Ok Bangaram. It was again apparent in the film before. Even the director needs a right lead pair to make his cinema work. The natural chemistry that he tries to create goes for a toss when lead actors are miscast.

Coming to the good thing, Mani Ratnam once again picks up an interesting point for a love story that is very contemporary. The feministic heroine and self-centered, egoistic male. This dynamic had a lot of potentials, but it is explored in a very uninteresting manner. It is fine if there is no spoon feeding and an audience has to make out what is happening, but still, an emotional flow is required to connect which is missing big time. There are moments which have the spark, but they come in between large portions of dullness. The second half is annoying as it doesn’t move beyond a point and what’s in the store looks very predictable. Be is visually or emotionally. Cheliyaa is like a beautiful portrait that is lifeless.

Aditi and others?Aditi Rao Hydari has given a fabulous performance. She is the one who is always doing something to keep the viewers engaged. In fact, she steals the show from lead actor Karthi. The others which include RJ Balaji, Delhi Ganesh, and Vipin Sharma, etc. act as mere fillers with nothing memorable to offer performance wise.

Music and other departments?
As usual, AR Rahman shines. Both his songs and background score are good. The cinematography by Ravi Varman is outstanding. Editing is smooth and subtle. Still, the film feels very lengthy. Dialogues are okay. A poetic and dramatic style concerning storytelling is adapted, but that hasn’t come out well.

Highlights?
Cinematography
Music and BGM

Drawbacks?
Lead pair chemistry
Predictable plot
Uninteresting narration

Alternative Take
The cast has to be perfect for films like these to work. An SRK at his prime or Madhavan would have elevated the same movie by several notches. It still wouldn’t be perfect but for sure will be better than what it is in current form.

Did I enjoy it?
Very few parts

Will you recommend it?
Only if one wants to watch glorious visuals

Cheliyaa Review by Siddartha Toleti