This sweet film centers around a maid servant named Balamani (Navya Nair) who falls in love with the son of the household, Manu (Prithviraj). This is supposedly kind of presumptuous of her, but I don't see who could help falling for Prithviraj if he flirted with her. Look at this cute "candlelight dinner" he has with her out on a broken box in the back of the house.
But of course not everything can go smoothly (this is true love, after all), and issues come up. As much as I love Prithviraj, I'm glad the film was centered around Navya Nair instead of him, because every time I see his face in the second half of the film it makes me feel like I'm imploding, (and it's not because of his beard). He just looks so sad and restless that it breaks my heart.
I really like Balamani's character a lot. She lectures inanimate objects and sings and dances while she does her work about the house. She sticks up for herself but is also kind and compassionate. She's sweet and self-sacrificing while still being spunky and fun. She's believes in her dreams but is also a pragmatist. She's true to everyone, including herself. Basically, she's just a really good human being.
One of the characters I think I was supposed to like and I didn't was Manu's mom. She's introduced as being a lot like I see Balamani as being--strong, hard-working, loving, etc. However, when things get rough she puts her pride before her son's happiness.
Still, overall it's a lovely movie. Prithviraj and Navya Nair are adorable, and the storyline is pretty good. The songs are good and fit in nicely with the story. The pacing is slow but steady and right for this film. If you like stories about true love and religious devotion, this is the right film for you.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the flirting and falling in love in the first half, but I got annoyed by Manu's stupid family (especially his somewhat spineless mom) in the second half.
I was listening to the songs again the other day, and I was struck by how lovely they are. They're not as exciting as some, but they're really quite beautiful.
Yes, I got a bit annoyed by the family, too. I mean, even if I didn't agree, I could sort of understand why his mom would not want to back out of the marriage plans she had made after she found out he was in love with someone else. But to then do nothing after that fell through just because the rest of the family was already mad at her, that was really when I started getting angry. I mean, most of the rest of the family were obviously jerks, so it wasn't necessary to be irritated at them for being what they are, but the mom seemed like she was just trying to save face or something, which was dumb.
ReplyDeleteBut they really are so sweet together, and the songs, as you said, are lovely.