‘96 is like a ticket sent by cupid to the past and the present of two people entangled in the magic of Love.
Starring: Vijay Sethupathi, Trisha Krishnan, Gowri Kishan, Adithya Bhaskar, etc.
Director: Prem Kumar.
Release Date: 4 October 2018
What’s it About?
‘96 is a Tamil film directed by Prem Kumar starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan in the lead roles. The movie which is set to happen in Chennai revolves around the lives of Ram and Jaanu, two people who meet again after 22 years in a school reunion and find themselves between a lush of emotions from their sweet romantic past and the harsh reality of the present.
Unlike routine love stories, Prem Kumar’s ‘96 is like a fresh breath of air to the audience. It takes you back to the good old days, lets you travel along with Ram and Jaanu till the end being a simple loves story with its moments of perfection. Like Time Of India quoted about ‘96,
“96 taps into nostalgia to leave us with a high that only happy associations with our past can evoke.”
– The Times Of India
I will give a rating of 09/10 for this refreshing romantic tale presented beautifully.
Summary
K. Ramachandran aka Ram, a travel photographer, happens to visit his school after a long gap of 22 years, letting himself drown with the nostalgia of his past. Ram and his schoolmates, the 1996 batch, decides to meet-up for a reunion where Ram happen to meet his schoolday sweetheart Jaanu and they spend the rest of the available time together by re-visiting the sweets of their past, darks of their parted times, and the bitter of their day-to-day lives.
Plot
Ram and Jaanu were classmates and develops a love for each other while in the 10th standard in high school. Before parting after their final exams, Jaanu asks Ram not to forget her till they meet again soon after the vacation. But fate had something else planned for them and they never meet after that as Jaanu finds Ram and his family had moved to some other place due to a reason unknown to her.
Jaanu who comes from Singapore for a one-day visit just to catch up with her schoolmates realizes that, even after 22 years, Ram is still living with her memories. Both of them who at first find it uncomfortable even to open up to each other gradually get along. Jaanu who is happily married longs to spend the rest of the day with Ram before parting with him again. Spending the night together, Ram and Jaanu get to know about each of their desperate but failed attempts to find each other in the gone days after their separation, and how Jaanu was forced to agree to get married even though now she is leading a contented life.
As time goes by, both confess about how they couldn’t forget each other but yet had to submit to the process of living by time. After coming to Ram’s apartment before heading back to her hotel for returning to Singapore, Jaanu expresses to Ram that she is upset on him for leading a single life and she feels that it is because of her and thereby asks him to get married. As time goes by, both Ram and Jaanu find it hard again to get separated from each other and to submit themselves to the harsh reality before them.
Technical Aspects
The beauty of ‘96 as a movie is its simple and subtle presentation. One can never find a gap to leave out a sigh of boredom while watching the movie. Prem Kumar has detailed the characters of Ram and Jaanu to such an extent that the process of watching the movie feels like moments lived with both the characters themselves. The way Ram’s character is written shows how he is a very conservative and shy he is and how he is still craving for something absent in his life. The character played by Trisha as Jaanu is equally important as Ram and the way her character was penned too was impressive.
One big kudos goes to Govind Vasantha for composing extraordinary music for ‘96. The whole experience of watching the movie gives out a feeling of watching a beautiful romantic saga enclosed in the wrapper of melodious music. From the tiniest details of bringing out the feels of a long-gone period to developing a story close to reality where everyone can relate themselves with the happenings on-screen, ‘96 makes sure to march towards you and stay inside you, forever.
Final Words
‘96 is like something delivered to you with a perfectly balanced ratio of simplicity and completeness. Nothing too much, nothing too less, the movie promises to take you on a beautiful journey where you can sit back and let yourself slowly drown in the process with nothing around to distract you at all.
With its unique way of presentation and a strong plot backed up by extraordinary performances both from the cast and the crew, ‘96 is a highly recommended watch for those who love to watch something perfect, something romantic, and something that will make you crave for more.
