Ala Modalaindhi - Elaga modhalaindho, alage mugisindhi

"It is not my fault if I am like a mushroom which seems edible but which poisons you if you pick it and taste it, taking it to be something else,"

So said Frederic Chopin a tainted genius. What is it that draws people to tainted geniuses? The fact that inspite of being so talented they have some weakness that makes them mere mortal?

What can be said about a film that is a hit and has it’s own share of cinematic liberties? Well if the performances are endearing, then it’s sure-shot that you wouldn’t mind the ‘cinematic liberties’. The same thing applies to “Ala Modalaindhi”

The very fact that I have opted to overlook the so-called deficiencies is a pointer to the fact that the movie has got something else as it’s USP that overpowers these ‘liberties’

That USP lies in the well-written, well portrayed, parts of the protagonists and the clear vision on the part of the director. The director does not veer away from the narrative and that keeps us involved throughout

The humour element in the movie is handled by the protagonists in the movie and is pretty situational bar a few scenes where the director tends to go overboard in eliciting laughter. What you actually remember from the movie is the fact that the director embellishes the conversations with daily talk and gibberish. The scene where Nani meets his sister and says “It is a wonderful life in pursuit of happiness” brings the house down

Although unrelated to the flow of the movie, the title credits in the beginning of the movie scream ‘Variety’ and the director builds up the narrative in a superb manner to bring it to good end

Director portrayed the relationship of the protagonists with their parents with a poignant touch and shows how handling of a scene differs from a director to director. The way the father tells Nitya Menon about love leaves the desired effect on the audience

Finally the choice of the actors for the parts seemed impeccable. Nitya Menon acting in her debut Telugu film had the audience literally eating out of her hands and how? Not by resorting to sleaze but, by actually expressing and conveying thoughts through those beautiful eyes of hers. It comes as no surprise that she has acted in few films in Malayalam. She was apt for the bubbly role this movie had for the heroine. For about five years now, Genelia in Bommarillu was the oft repeated act for a bubbly heroine. Nitya Menon treads a different path altogether and is charmingly brilliant in the movie

And last but not the least Nani, the male protagonist in the movie. He is responsible for sending the audience into a whirlwind ride in this movie. His portrayal of a “jovial yet sensitive, detached yet caring” boy will stand out as one of the performances of the year. The biggest test for any actor are the close up shots and the dialogue modulation. Nani comes up trumps on both the counts and forms a superb pairing with Nitya. We need not go further than Nani’s enactment of a crime serial reporter to be in awe with his dialogue modulation. A generation of directors can be thankful that they have a chameleon actor in Nani. He was superb in humour, emotion and also silence

Once you watch the movie, the overbearing factor on mind would be “If only love was so easy”. Kudos to the director who managed the show brilliantly