Lover  - An engaging and affecting tale of a toxic relationship

Love stories are always welcomed by the audiences as long as the subject is unique and relatable at the same time.  'Lover' by the makers of 'Good Night' is one such film that will surely vibe for its target audiences.

Arun (Manikandan) is a troubled young man whose frustrations are fueled by the unhappy relationship of his parents (Bigg Boss Saravanan and Geetha Kailasam) and his failures to start his own restaurant business.  On the other hand he is in a six year old relationship with his college sweetheart Divya (Sri Gouri Priya).  As Arun's troubles mount he turns into an alcoholic and occasional drug user.  He eventually begins spewing his toxicity on Divya who at one time reaches the breaking point.  The rest of the screenplay deals with more toxic attempts by Arun to win back his lover by stifling her freedom.  Whether he succeeds or not is answered in a poignant climax.

Manikandan is slowly but surely gaining a strong foothold in Tamil cinema as one of the most promising young heroes.  He is perfect as the selfish, male chauvinist Arun who takes the girl for granted and makes her life miserable.  The variations that Mani shows in body language and dialogue delivery when playing a college boy, when he is sober and when he is stone drunk, stand proof for his caliber as an actor.  Sri Gowri Priya has dominated as the tormented lover Divya excellently conveying the pain and inner turmoil.  There is a long take of her breaking down on the phone to Geetha Kailasam that will force her name into the awards list for the year.  Kanna Ravi as the heroine's colleague has put in an earnest performance that elevates his character to another plane from the stereotype.  The rest of the cast are all so natural that the liveliness of the film is kept fueled till the very end.

What works best in 'Lover' is the relatable characters and the storyline that keeps the interest alive throughout.  The writing is so good that what is implied is far more affecting than what is shown - For example the torrid relationship of the hero's parents and its impact on the lovers and the manner in which the hero repents.  There is a layer of humour that keeps the smiles coming at regular intervals.  Usually in Tamil cinema the heroine would have been portrayed as a submissive victim who will accept her man the way he is but here she has her own flaws that makes her character even more interesting.   The film makes Manikandan's presence on the crucial post interval tour as uncomfortable to the audiences as the rest of the cast which makes that ride completely worthwhile.  The healing that takes place in an unexpected manner makes for a highly satisfying climax.

On the downside, 'Lover' is similar to 'Ispade Raja Idhaya Rani' and hence the novelty is diluted.   Almost about half an hour of the runtime is repetitive and more effort could have been made to avoid that.  The core issue is universally relatable but the makers have opted to center it around a hep drug abusing hero and heroine that sort of distances them.

Sean Roldan, the go to man for offbeat films, has yet again rendered a haunting background score that punctuates the high and low moments of the love story.  His soulful songs alas sound much too similar.   Shreyaas Krishna has shot the film as realistically as possible which is another big plus while Bharat Vikraman's smooth editing keeps the flow seamless.  Nazerath Pasilian, Magesh Raj Pasilian and Yuvaraj Ganesan have produced 'Lover' under the banners  Dollar Studios, MRP Entertainment.

Young debutante Prabhuram Vyaas has chosen a mature subject and has succeeded to a great extent in authentically bringing to life a slice of life of a toxic boyfriend.  His solid writing and adept filming have made him one to watch out for in the future.

Verdict : Go for this engaging, well written, well enacted and youthful film.