Taramani movie review: Package that goes beyond just love stories
Director: Ram
Cast: Andrea Jeremiah, Vasanth Ravi, Azhagam Perumal
Taramani is a film that touches upon the important issues that affect today’s youth. But instead of becoming a didactic movie that preaches a little, director Ram has managed to steer clear of any such boredoms and has instead delivered a quirky and understandable drama that puts entertainment firmly above everything else.
Revolving around the IT hub of Chennai, Taramani initially begins with a bunch of fishermen praying for the weather gods to intervene with a downpour, just so they could be relieved of the stresses surrounding their lives. Then we cut to two leading characters, Altheya Johnson (Andrea) and Prabhu (Vasanth Ravi.) In the midst of heavy rainfall, Altheya meets Prabhu for the first time and the latter captivates her attention by recounting his love failure.
Altheya works for a big IT group as the head of HR. A strong and upright woman, Altheya has undergone a lot of terrible experiences in life: divorced from a man with a hidden sexual orientation. And estranged from parents who antagonize her in some of the most stereotypical manner. Into this predicament falls the carefree and chatty Prabhu, whose affection for her is easy enough to spot. But these segments are some of the most natural and cringe-free scenes of the film. Altheya nonetheless is weary of a romantic relationship and is more on the looked for a kindred spirit. Nonetheless, for good or for worse, she falls for him and thus begins another journey of love, heartbreak, self-doubt, and redemption.
Whether Altheya with her complicated life predicament, or Prabhu with his conceited behaviors could reconcile and become a changed (and better) person forms the rest.
Andrea has given a performance to match the gravitas of her character. Females are rarely given much content in K-town but Taramani had plenty to offer and Andrea has not let the writers down. She simply excels! It is Vasanth Ravi is constantly challenged by the independent and free-spirited nature of his female companion and he too rises to match the performance. Azhagam Perumal, producer JSK and Anjali in an extended cameo impress. Ram's voiceover to move forward the story is convincing and perfect.
Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music blends with the narration very well, and Theni Eswar’s cinematography has picked the right places to relate to the audience. On the whole, Taramani is a full package that goes beyond just the love stories: there’s notions of good and bad; there’s the relationship humans have with animals and the environment; and there are topics of greed, ego, and the interconnectedness of the world that we live in. A worthy watch that will leave you intrigued.
