O KAADHAL KANMANI ... The camaraderie works!!

No one captures romance onscreen as intensely & passionately sans any high voltage sexual tension as Mani Ratnam does! There is just only one love making shot set at Tara's (Nithya Menon) hostel, but Mani Ratnam cleverly refrains from showing any eroticism between the couple visually, rather he makes his lead players verbally (with humor!) describe or talk to each other about what one would like to do to each other passionately on their way back home, focusing more on the post love making scenes rather soothingly (his trademark style, must say!) that’s the beauty of Mani Ratnam’s dialogues! It is all about falling in love and start a live-in relationship and letting each other go with a simple line, like Adhi says 'go wherever u wanna go, just marry me and go'! the marriage here isn't a trademark symbol, but a 'bond' that keeps them glued to each other, hence the post marital shots being shot in animation along with the end credits!
I am so much in awe of this film that i probably might even overlook the few flaws (like the confusion when Adhi goes missing wasn't explained too convincingly or 'Paranthu Sellava' song looks bit dragged, causing a minor glitch to the otherwise perfect screenplay!).
This is the first Nithya Menon film i watched and she bowled me completely with her radiance and charm in every single frame, watch her out with that big grin on her face hiding her tears. Dulquer Salmaan's spontaneous act and brilliant screen presence being the perfect foil to Menon's charm! Prakash Raj and Leela Samson's parallel 'totally contralateral' story track gels well with the urban love story! There's so much energy in the film from the title card itself , the super cool animated Mumbai city shot in a video game zone along with AR Rahman's alluring 'kaara attkara' accentuating the energy to a different level. Also, two of my other favourite tracks 'Mental Manadhil' and 'Theera Ulla' has been used very effectively. PC Sreeram's camera works like a magic bringing Mumbai come alive so colorfully, though few close up shots could have been used with little less orton-ish glow!
Its senseless to compare Alai Payuthe with O Kadhal Kanmani, the only similarities might be the opening/frequent train sequences , because the couples in these two films represent two different generation altogether! Mani Ratnam is back, even if not with a bang, but at least with something refreshing and romance in its purest form, without trying to prove his mettle by showcasing something extraordinary, and i love him for that!