Rathna Kumar is one of the most underrated directors in the Tamil film industry. Starting off his directing career with the ‘Madhu’ segment in the 2015 anthology film ‘Bench Talkies’, Rathna Kumar’s most well received film was his debut feature, 2017’s great romantic comedy ‘Meyaadha Maan’. Although his following films – 2019’s thriller ‘Aadai’ and 2022’s satirical comedy ‘Gulu Gulu’ – were not as warmly welcomed, Rathna Kumar’s work should be praised for its unique voice and the broad range of styles it encompasses. For his latest film, Rathna Kumar offers coming-of-age romantic drama ‘29’ starring Vidhu and Preethi Asrani.
The film follows Sathya (Vidhu), a 29 year old stuck in the midst of an existential and identity crisis. He finds his answer in a newcomer to his workplace Viji (Preethi Asrani), a potential romantic connection. The rest of the film follows the blossoming of their relationship through its peaks and valleys. The film’s story is told well for the most part. The film twists the idea of the narrative voiceover by distancing it from its owner, adding a thoughtful extra layer to the proceedings. The first half is where the film is at its strongest, especially during the twist in the interval, where the shift in tone creates a sense of impending doom for the relationship. The screenplay is well-written and the lead pair have well constructed characters who you root for throughout. A lot of Rathna Kumar’s dialogue is sometimes witty and other times poetic, a mainstay through all his films. Another staple Rathna Kumar feature that appears in ‘29’ is the subversion of expectations, playing on the expected tropes of Tamil cinema. Where ‘29’ slips up is in the second half, where a lot happens in a short amount of time. Furthermore, actor Mahendran plays a one-dimensional villain in the film who could have been better fleshed out; one does wonder if Rathna Kumar did this intentionally, however, by having this villain call Sathya ‘Cut-out’ throughout the film.
The cast play their roles well. Preethi Asrani plays her role of Viji very well, balancing levity with larger emotions with panache. Lead actor Vidhu has been on the one-to-watch list; his first role of note was in the fantastic ‘Jigarthanda DoubleX’ as Shettani in which he was unrecognisable. His next big role was in the follow-up Subbaraj feature ‘Retro’ in which he was once again unrecognisable as antagonist Michael Mirasu. Vidhu is a chameleon as an actor, contorting himself to the needs of the script. Vidhu does this in ‘29’ also, which is great to see, and I hope he continues to choose demanding roles in the future.
The film is technically solid too. Rathna Kumar’s directing skills have been improving with each film. Madhesh Manickam’s cinematography creates the atmosphere required for the film, framing the lead pair nicely throughout. The lighting and colour grading team add a noteworthy contribution too. The film is broken up into chapters, which are signposted by wonderfully illustrated titlecards. The score and soundtrack by Sean Roldan are of varying quality; the score often feels like an unwanted guest, and the opening track ‘Mansion Kuthu’ is a truly substandard effort from the music director. However, the later tracks in the film ‘Seelay Seelay’, ‘Polladha Asaigal’ and ‘Poo Paadal’ are much gentler and some of Roldan’s best works.
Overall, ‘29’ is a solid film with an important philosophical message for young adults. Rathna Kumar’s range in films is adequately stretched by this film, and I am looking forward to what he comes up with next. If you enjoyed ‘29’, I would recommend the 2024 romantic drama ‘Lover’.
Gopi's rating: 3 stars
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Official trailer for film below.