Bachelor - A tale of modern lust told in an unusual fashion

G.V. Prakash Kumar's biggest hit so far is the adult comedy 'Trisha Illana Nayanthara' and after a long gap he revisits that zone again with more negative shades.  Will this 'Arjun Reddy' meets 'Ispade Rajavum Idhaya Raniyum' satisfy the 18 plus crowd remains to be seen.

Darling (G.V. Prakash Kumar) is a self centered youth from Coimbatore who joins an IT company in Bengaluru and moves into their bachelor room.  He hits the bottle hard and is a bit of a glutton who is unmindful of others and the problems he causes to them.  He then meets a modern girl (Subbu) who lives with another friend and his girlfriend in a posh apartment and sets sights on her.  He then worms his way into the apartment by imposing himself on his friend and as fate would have the other couple move out to a foreign country.  Darling then with the sole aim of bedding Subbu succeeds and they start living together.  The girl eventually gets pregnant much to the shock of her partner.   The spineless Darling forces Subbu to abort and the ensuing events lead the duo into deep trouble and they get embroiled in a legal battle.  What happens next is what 'Bachelor' is all about.

G.V. Prakash has sunk his teeth into a well written character of a person who is so into himself that he never even reacts to what others (including parent and siblings) are going through or feeling.  Right from hiding all his favorite food and eating without sharing to getting drunk and messing up his friends the composer turned actor has pulled off the heavily negative coated Darling authoritatively to the very end.  Debutante Divyabharathi is a welcome find who looks pretty without any makeup and is a natural before the camera.  She has effortlessly nailed the sensuality and the confusion in the relationship and the resolve to keep her children and finally deciding her fate.  Muniskanth as a relative of the hero comes to the rescue of the audience when things start sagging in the screenplay and the laughs work big time.  Similarly Bhagavathy Perumal and The Nakkalites team also provide the humour throughout the film and are a big plus.  There is also a surprise cameo from Mysskin which is also hilarious albeit more than a tad long.

What works best in 'Bachelor' is the youthful elements that the screenplay contains throughout the first half and to a large extent in the second.  A few moments like the eyes of the girl and the mother of the boy meeting in court and similarly between the boy and the girl in the end are poetic.  Another engaging factor is the unpredictability of the screenplay which defies most of the conventions that Tamil audiences are used to.  Rendering the boy effectively and symbolically impotent and favoring the bold move of the girl in the climax is pretty satisfying.

On the downside the screenplay meanders post the interval and a big minus is not showing what the girl is going through after the case comes to court.  Similarly what say the boy's family have on the issue is not clear other than just playing along with his whims.   Maybe in trying to be faithful to the true story the film is based on, the friends seem to be there in every frame with GVP and their dialogues and reactions become repetitive after a point.

Theni Easwar's cinematography is a mainstay for 'Bachelor' with mostly handheld shots that give a feeling of being part of the action.  Siddhu Kumar's background score is a symphony of exuberant musical pieces and bit songs that enhance the viewing experience.  Shan Lokesh could have put the scissors to good use on many scenes to make the close to three hours film much crispier.  Sathish Selvakumar on debut comes across as a director with a distinct voice and his attempt to give an unusual film is commendable.  Axess Film Factory, the banner behind such variety fare as 'Ratsasan' and 'Oh My Kadavule' has once again backed an offbeat film with a contemporary strong content.

Verdict : Go for this youthful and engaging contemporary film with a strong message