A girlfriend is an asset;
she adds to your face value. But when she dons the avatar of wife, she loses
her repeat value. That is, she qualifies no more for your romance, extra attention
and the sweet endearments. What is it that love does to marriage and vice versa?
Mani Ratnam's
Sakhi
tries to understand how and why romance flies out of the window when marriage
happens, and how the magic and masti of Mohabbat simply fades away in the mundane
married life. Through a simple love story, sans loud melodrama and consciously
avoiding the 'thali' sentiment, Mani Ratnam once again proves what a master
storyteller he is.
Kartik (Madhavan), has a
crush on Shanti (Shalini) at a wedding, goes on to track her down in the daily
local train. Soon, romance blossoms into love and the word about his love reaches
his parents. Both Shanti and Kartik's parents try to discuss their love only
to end up rubbing each other on the wrong side. So, the imminent marriage is
called off. But the two lovebirds cannot desist from meeting each other. They
are so enamoured of each other that they end up marrying secretly.
No sooner do the parents
learn about the wedding than Kartik and Shanti are thrown out of their respective
homes. That's when they move out and set up a home of their own and decide to
rough it out. Life seems so real for the duo now. Everyday starts with an argument
and ends with a misunderstanding.
It was mush pre-marriage.
Post-marriage, it all seems like muck. Even as the duo try to reconcile and
put up a brave face, life puts them to test. Shanti meets with an accident and
it is up to Kartik to fight the lonely battle. How the accident brings in a
new perspective to their marriage forms the crux of the story.
Madhavan proves he's got
what it takes to be an actor - talent and confidence, in abundance. He comes
across as the quintessential lover boy, with lots of attitude. For Shalini,
the 'veteran' child artiste-turned-heroine the role is a cakewalk. Her large
expressive eyes speak more than her words. A R Rahman's music adds a touch of
class to the deftly made movie.
Only Mani Ratnam could have
made such an incredibly classy movie with a simple love story in the backdrop
of a middle-class lifestyle. And the manner in which the screenplay moves to
and fro in time like a suspended pendulum is definitely an experiment in film-making.
A movie for those who believe
in good and clean cinema. At least, you come out of the movie feeling you 've
done a good thing getting married.
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