“Oh Manapenne!” Movie Review: This remake reminds us why we love Pelli Choopulu

Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar are easy to see. In addition, the film provides an elegant, modern and refreshing appeal, similar to what Vijay Deveraconda and Ritu Varma achieved in Pelli Choopulu.

Revising films that are more than five years old seems to have built-in benefits.

When directors revise a relatively new popular film, it presents some significant challenges. This film is still fresh in the minds of the audience. And any mistake in the remake that corrupts your favourite original memory will not be treated well. It also requires a lot of original thought from the filmmakers regarding the grooming, staging, and performance of the actors.

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However, slightly older films will make the process a lot easier for filmmakers. Many will not remember the original. So the opaque memory works for the remake. Rather than asking for in-depth analysis and comparison, a well-done frame-by-frame remake will remind us why we loved the original film. Example – Oh, Manapene!.

The film’s name is inspired by the romantic hit song AR Rahman Omana Penne by Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. In the song Omana, penne is used as a term for tenderness. However, the title of the film means “Oh Bride”. Director Kaarthik Sundar and screenwriter Deepak Sundarrajan are very clever with the title. Kaarthik and Deepak maintain the same energetic energy throughout the film, combined with a hint of tone. And credit to Lion for making this remake goes to its well-thought-out casting decision.

Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar are gentle on the eyes.

In addition, the film provides an elegant, modern and refreshing appeal, similar to what Vijay Deveraconda and Ritu Varma achieved in Pelli Choopulu.

However, at the end of the film, we find out that Shruti is the girl Kartik was supposed to meet. All the minor accidents at their meeting, including the pigeon pooping on its clothes, were accidental.

These lucky coincidences followed one after another. But soon after, the film started to feel fictional. Writing seems to be the prime suspect. There are common characteristics in Tamil cinema. Kartik tries to clear his backlog on BE so that he can’t even write “Thermodynamics” when his father asks him to. Kartik’s friend, who is also exhausted like him, has to act like an alcoholic. He said something like, “Dry day naale sogam dhaan da.

F***ing amateur drinker.” Kartik’s ex-girlfriend is a mushroom forcing him to pay his salon bills. At some point, Kartik called Shruti’s idea for a food truck business a “restaurant on wheels”. The latter, an MBA gold medalist, was very impressed to call it that. It’s hard not to doubt Shruti’s ability as a copywriter. The ending is a bit too comfortable and a bit too strong too.

But despite these discoveries:

The second half has plenty of moments that make it funny. Harish Kalyan looks convincing as a useless guy who slowly changes because of the girl he meets. This character is reminiscent of Siddhart Mehra (Ranbir Kapoor) from Wake Up Sid.

However, I prefer Priya Bhavani Shankar’s character and appearance. Given that female characters are mainly unimportant in Tamil cinema, and “strong female characters” usually support statements aimed at empowering women, Shruti is refreshing. He is enterprising but also sincere with his flaws and vulnerabilities. When Kartik tells him that it is good to marry someone for dowry, he does not lecture him about the evil of dowry.

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“This is not about separation. Instead, he realized how disrespectful he was. When his ex-girlfriend, who left him unannounced, returns to apologize, he beats her up. But for not doing it right,” he told her. Soon he will be back on his feet and trying to start a business. Although Kartik prepares the way for him, Shruti is not just his rainbow of redemption. Expect to see more women like this on-screen.