Love Today Movie Review: Our protagonists and heroines in Tamil films used to be the idealized nice people who never ventured to transgress moral boundaries. While women were expected to be chaste and show unconditional love, men were occasionally given the freedom to test limits.
This has changed, though, and we now perceive flaws, and these flaw stories end up being relatable, unique, and sincere. Pradeep Ranganathan is the director. Yogi Babu, Sathyaraj, Ivana, and Pradeep Ranganathan are the others in the cast.
Uthaman Pradeep and Nikhitha, two imperfect young people who live in a make-believe world and consider themselves to be “the perfect pair,” are the subject of one such narrative, Love Today. They have the sweetest nicknames in the world for one another. The other person’s phone rings with the tone “Unmai Kadhal Yaar Endraal” whereas the first person’s ringtone is “Kadhal Neethaana.”
It’s that time of year when everything is lovely and charming. When the guy swoons over her and says, “Enakku unna pathi ellam theriyum baby,” it is clear that the two assume they know everything about one another. And the girl does this a lot. But this is only true until they learn the truth.
Filmmaker Pradeep Ranganathan, who made his debut with the rather eccentric Comali, comes up with another outlandish concept for his second movie: a couple swapping phones for a day and discovering terrible truths about one another. His short film Appa Lock, in which he also starred, is an outgrowth of this movie.
Love Today’s first look and trailer caused a lot of controversies, with many people concerned that it would celebrate misogyny or glorify unhealthy relationships. Pradeep, though, disproves them all by concentrating on something… genuine. The movie merely makes an effort to highlight how flimsy modern relationships are.
Pradeep, the actor, is very reminiscent of Dhanush in his early years or perhaps SJ Suryah. In addition to his physique and “man next door” demeanor, he exudes a certain passion that is appropriate for this movie.
Ivana, who is equally chirpy and demonstrates a lot of potential in the emotionally intense sequences, provides him with the ideal counterpoint. Although Pradeep and Nikhitha receive most of the attention, another couple, Divya (Raveena) and Yogi (Yogi Babu), are also involved in the action. The two key messages of the film—the value of trust and personal space in relationships—are driven home by these two couples. Similar to in Comali, Yogi Babu also receives a touching character development in this film.
Pradeep, the director, deserves praise for forgoing the tropes common to this genre. After exchanging phone numbers, there is the ideal opportunity for a women-shaming song to take place in a wine store when the guy unearths unknown information about his girlfriend and accuses her of infidelity, but happily, Pradeep refrains.
He is aware of his intended audience and uses straightforward yet powerful dialogue to get his point through. The third act, when it turns sanctimonious, causes the generally concentrated story to veer off course slightly. But that also works thanks to seasoned professionals like Radikaa and Sathyaraj. Sathyaraj is back to crisp and believable after his caricature act in the recently released Prince.
Regardless of the performances, Love Today is propelled by a strong technical team and high-quality production assets. The movie is punctuated by a number of ingenious creative moments, starting with the unique title cards that depict the creation of a mobile phone, a crucial plot device.
Consider a moment where Pradeep logs onto his girlfriend’s Instagram account while perched on the toilet. The images he encounters throughout his descent down the undesirable rabbit hole give away the s***storm he is about to experience. Even though it can be difficult to convey social media activity on TV, the creators of Love Today use creative strategies to make it entertaining and engaging.
The flashy transitions and edits, especially in the early half, are hilarious. An amusing passage when Radikaa rants about her son’s phone usage is masterfully written to elicit chuckles. Funky music by Yuvan Shankar Raja contributes to increasing these enjoyable times. When things go wrong, it’s a brilliant idea to play a remix of “Kuttrale Aruviyile Kulichadhu Pol Irukkudha” in the background.
It’s obvious how much fun Yuvan had making the movie, and it’s unquestionably among his best recent efforts. Pradeep also honors his musical hero in a number of moments, one of which features a picture of Yuvan in his room.
Many people believed that the movie’s title was an attempt by the producers to capitalize on Vijay’s success by using the name of his 1997 hit, but after seeing the movie, the title makes perfect sense. It is a movie about modern love, and Pradeep does a terrific job of making sure that everyone can relate to the plot.
