Watching a film and then completely falling for the same, it takes a little time for us to get over it. We feel an eternal love for the beauty of our favorite film and it’s characters. And Mani Ratnam’s ‘Alaipayuthey’ is one such film that makes you admire it in different ways altogether right from picturization of the songs to the very small story arcs in the film. Ratnam’s second film after Mouna Ragam which has a central theme of romance and explores the dynamics of a young couple’s relationship post marriage.
Rewatching Alaipayuthey now gave me a deep insight into the blissful cinematography of P C Sreeram, I would say that his camera has been a perfect match for every Mani Ratnam film right from Mouna Ragam to OK Kanmani. Highlighting the song ‘Evano Oruvan’ through its divine frames and the meaningful lyrics, the film opens a new arc and concludes it quite like a new beginning for Karthik (R Madhavan) and Shakti (Shalini).
Taking the narrative forward and mapping it through images, making it a symbolism of grief that goes within these characters. The shots follow a medical camp being threatened by stormy weather, a wide-angle shot of a bus approaching, and some other beautiful shots accompanied by dark shades and wind continuously stating the inner state of mind of both these characters. Finally, they both meet at a bridge across a river, giving closure to this beautiful song and initiating the story further.
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