26. MODERN LOVE : CHENNAI

 

Language: Tamil

Genre: Romance

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime 

Who defines love?  Is the concept of "Love" itself what we actually mean when we use that term? If you find yourself asking these questions on a regular basis, here is a series for you to explore, embrace, and journey with the characters as they discover their concept of "Love." The six-part anthology tries to explore the various flavours of love, frequently in combination with other emotions, rather than focusing on one overarching theme of love, just as there is no single, widely-accepted definition of love.

The "Modern Love: Chennai" loosely adapts the New York Times' "Modern Love" column and plants those ideas in Chennai while also exploring the "spectrum" of love in all its complexity and authenticity. The goal of the creators is not to make it appealing to everyone, but rather to demonstrate how the idea of "Love" can be perplexing and have various connotations depending on who is involved.

For instance, Rajmurugan's "Lalagunda Bommaigal" demonstrates how a woman experiences both love and disdain, as well as how certain facets of her private love life are scrutinised and mocked by the cynical society. The story of a woman with a degenerative retinal disorder is told in "Imaigal" by Balaji Shakthivel. She experiences difficulties in her love life as a result of broken promises. Then comes the odd one out of the 6 stories, that is, “Kaadhal Enbadhu Kannula Heart Irukkura Emoji”, directed by Krishankumar Ramakumar, and it deals with the expectations about the love life of a Kollywood-obsessed young lady. This episode, in contrast to the others, explores the quirky and amusing side of love, making it more approachable and palatable—just like a Rom-com. 

A young girl explores her fantasies and discovers love in the fourth episode, "Margahzhi," which is directed by Akshay Sundhar. This episode expertly captures the fleeting nature of love.The fifth episode, "Paravai Kootil Vazhum Maangal," deals with how a woman handles her husband's post-marriage relationship and is one of the best and most sensitive of the bunch. Despite the fact that the plot had every chance of veering into melodramatic territory, the impact of the movie is maintained by Bharathiraja's excellent writing. 

Thiagarajan Kumararaja's "Ninaivo Oru Paravai" was saved as the best for last by the makers. This episode has a non-linear narrative that allows for multiple interpretations and is more akin to a puzzle that we viewers must work hard to solve. The story of a couple going through a breakup and having to get back together under unusual circumstances is told in the film. The casual encounters, pubs, and other elements that define so-called "modern love" are accurately reflected in it, but it also has a poetic quality that emphasises the power and beauty of memories. A lot of easter eggs and unusual trippy elements make this one a real surprise package, showcasing the talent of Thiagarajan Kumararaja.And it will be crime if I have not mentioned Ilayaraja, who has redefined his style in order to cater the mood of this episode. 

In a nutshell, Modern love: Chennai is a brilliant adaptation of the original series; raising the bar of all the web series out of South to come, be it in  technical and in other aspects.