User reviews

I happened to watch OK Kanmani yesterday. First of all, let me begin by saying that the movie is definitely much beyond mere 'OK'. If Mouna Ragam, Alaipayuthey & OK Kanmani were to be clustered together as Mani Ratnam's 'love trilogy' then I would definitely consider this movie as a prequel to its predecessors, as the other two had dealt with post-marital themes whereas, this one explores pre-marital relationships of contemporary urban youth. The casting seemed very fresh. Dulquer Salman, Nithya Menen, Prakash Raj, Leela Samson and others have offered some gritty and seminal performances in terms of acting. The movie is undoubtedly a true gem and a definite landmark in all their respective filmographies. The diction of the lead pair does not even show a hint of their obvious malayali accent and seem to enunciate their respective lines quite fluently in spite of being shot entirely on sync sound except for a few scenes. However, the main highlight of this movie is its resplendent cinematography by the very versatile P.C.Sreeram who packs quite a punch this time with his snazzy frames and groovy lights that makes the movie seem like a radiant visual romantic poem. The Art Department surely deserves special appreciation. For instance, there is a scene which reveals Ganapathy's (Prakash Raj) study where we see an old cranky desktop computer and few books neatly displayed in the shelf beside. Such small nuances do play a major role in establishing the character's predilection. Songs composed by the maestro himself have already emerged as trend-setting chart busters and fit inextricably with the narrative instead of merely being distinctive tracks which has got nothing to do with the story-line thus, offering an entirely new experience to the viewer. Contrary to a few reviews that I had read online prior to watching the movie which claims the first half to have intermittent lags, I felt that the movie picks up pace right from the word go and maintains momentum till its dramatic culmination. The dialogues follow the same old pithy and succinct pattern which is indubitably a renowned trademark of the auteur. Overall, OKK is certainly not 'the best' movie of Mani Ratnam hitherto considering his extensive body of work but, it definitely has the potential to become both an inexorable blockbuster and a cult classic in the years to come. Hats off to this 58 year old gutsy genius who has valiantly envisaged a modern-day taboo theme of 'live-in relationship' and churned out a beautiful love story which is both realistic and relatable to the contemporary youth of India. In precis, the film gives us a message that even below an attenuated layer of ostensible modernism, there lies a strong substratum of traditional values still embedded in today's young generation which is yet to become extinct.

A Man who is pushing into his sixties announces he is here to say, here to stay!! Thats Mani Ratnam's reply through ‪OKKanmani‬ !! yes he is back indeed with an all-round movie after some years!! Watching his movie after very long time in theater and Very much satisfied.

The cinematography says it all. PC sir underplayed himself to suit the story. The whole Mumbai setup shows what his experience is and it lets you travel beyond boundaries. You don't need mega locations. you need to shoot everything right thats it!

The tile card and interval block is very much unexpected surprise package. BGM ARR = no words. Truly nailed it (but at some portion it reminds me of interstellar).

Dulquer Salmaan is here to stay!! And Nithya Menon - she is modern Revathi as in Mouna Ragam (although Revathi cant be matched!!). Another interesting thing is that almost every Mani movie will have an interesting character. Well, this movie has more than one and that too is done well. very well indeed!!! Leela Samson outplayed Prakashraj. She is the one to look out for in this movie.

No Melodramatic moments, no unwanted tearful moments, no low-class language. Thats Mani Ratnam for you. Enjoy the ride.!

Cast : perfectly casted for all characters starts 4m Bavani aunt to Aadi's sister in law

Plot & direction : A man who desperately needed a hit, came out of his recent genres parallel cinema, hyperlink, Biography, and terrorism etc., and succeeded.

Beg your pardon, kindly direct movies which even "C" centre audience can understand. It would've made difference for Kadal and Raavan at BO Undoubtedly it's a second Alaipaayuthe of this 21st century. The major difference, it revolves around unmarried living together couple and the heroine is wealthier than hero.

The romance of bhavani ganapathy is much deeper and beautiful than Thara Aadi

Mani is back with a HIT! The movie is shot is Mumbai and the hero of the movie, Aadhi develops a software game called Mumbai-2.0. Apart from a few visuals that remind of Mani's Bombay movie, this movie is more of a Alaipayuthey-2.0 because you get the feel of a more contemporary version of Alaipayuthey. But, the movie is no where less to the Alaipayuthey classic because this is what you get...

Fantastic Soundtrack by AR (9/10): The "AR-Vairamuthu-Mani" trio's magic is one to cherish forever.

One of The Best Background Music that touches you while watching the movie (10/10).

Awesome performances by Dulquer & Nithya (10/10).

Superb Cinematography (9/10).

The real touch of Mani's movie making and dialogues style which most people love to see (10/10).

I hardly feel the urge to go watch a movie second time. But, OKK tempts me to experience it again in the theater.

Overall, OK...K --> Double OK :)

A new Maniratnam film always gives you goosebumps as it begins, since you expect something extraordinary coming from the maestro yet again as per his reputed career giving many trendsetting films in the past. And when the experienced film-maker is returning with a love story based on new-age relationships mainly catering to the urban regions, the expectations got to increase further to many folds without any doubt.

Thankfully this time Maniratnam delivers the goods if considered in terms of a youthful treatment, realistic dialogues, artistic vision, catchy music and emotions dealt as they tend to be in the modern world. But taking into account the subject and its basic storyline, the film mostly offers predictable content heading towards a usual culmination of a love story, with nothing surprising or innovative tried, probably fearing the risk of rejection.

Talking about two young independent individuals, O KADHAL KANMANI (meaning Oh Darling, my love, apple of my eye) also popularly called as OK Kanmani, is just a perfect film for the multiplexes with a fine mix of romance, comedy, emotions and music leaving a feel good impact on the viewers as desired. However it actually makes that favourable impression because of two major strengths mentioned below, pointing towards the perfect casting done by the maestro.

Firstly it's the immensely likable and infectious performance of its leading lady Nitya Menen, who carries the complete film on her shoulders with an innocent ease and conviction. The girl instantly makes a loving connection with her audiences and keeps them entertained right till the end leading from the front.

Secondly it's the adorable characterisation of the lovable elderly couple played by Prakash Raj and Leela Samson just perfectly. And one can easily learn a valuable lesson of life from the couple, teaching you how to be patient, calm and together in those tough final years dealing with many physical ailments.

In other words you just cannot imagine O KADHAL KANMANI without these three characters providing the much required support to its otherwise 'seen before' subject matter to be honest. Yes, Dulquer no doubt delivers an enjoyable, natural act as the lead hero with an impressive screen presence winning many hearts. But the soul of OKK remains Nitya Menen alone, contributing much more into the film's overall look and feel in comparison to anyone else in the cast.

Moving ahead, OKK's realistically written script full of simple and relatable dialogues along with a well conceived art direction and cinematography plays a major role in maintaining that young feel throughout. Moreover its seriously amazing to realise that a man in his late 50s has made this with an all mature team perfectly portraying the mindsets of the youngsters and their common problems dealing with a new-age lifestyle and love-hate relationships.

Once again getting a big support from the music & background score composed by A. R. Rahman, the film gets lifted just at the right moments with a (long due) fine soundtrack from the genius featuring songs such as Mental Manadhil, Aye Sinamika and Kaara. Plus I really loved and enjoyed the interesting arrangement & treatment of tracks Parandhu Sella Vaa, Malargal Kaettaen, Naane Varugiraen and the calm, soothing feel of Maula Wa Sallim, though a few could have been avoided keeping in mind the dropping pace post intermission. (Note : The views on music here are given keeping the lyrics apart as I couldn't get them completely due to the language limitations)

So if you are looking for a light, refreshing, rom-com that doesn't make you cry and keeps delivering cute sequences with an enjoyable chemistry both between the young and the elderly couple played brilliantly, then OKK should be a perfect choice for you as a youthful entertaining film. But in case you are expecting an intense romantic drama with all those real life conflicts and emotions that once happened to be the forte of our master film-maker, then OKK might turn out to be a film from a different and new Maniratnam willing to explore the youth in a much lighter mood.

Perhaps a changed Maniratnam with the changing times, who is simply more interested in making a light romantic, musical with a comic touch, solely made to give its viewers a good enjoyable time in the theaters. And that's exactly the reason, I personally found the film to be progressing too easily with no tension of any sort, making it shallow at times moving away from the actual life that faces a lot of adversities when it comes to'Live In Relationships', 'Risky Career Choices' and 'Family Conflicts'.

Interestingly same is the case with most of the films today, clearly revealing their reservations in showing the 'Sadness' on screen resulting in a one side depiction of life making it completely off balance. Because, till you are not willing to talk about the two sides of the coin equally, you are not going to find much depth in your presentation be it a film, book, poem or any creative expression, whatsoever.

Summing up, O KADHAL KANMANI is a MANIRATNAM film that has been solely made to be a success story, targeting the young viewers simply willing to enjoy their movie outings together avoiding any kind of serious emotional stuff. It has freshness, it has love, it has music, it has chemistry and it has Nitya Menen too, but the drama we always expect from a MANIRATNAM film has been sadly sacrificed in the name of box office performance.

Thank you Mani Ratnam for this very timely return to form. OK Kanmani( Such a nice title) is a beautiful love story about the modern age relationships. The dialogues and the settings do bring back flashes of Alaipayuthey and Aaytha Ezhuthu. This isn't a perfect movie. There were some scenes that were cringe worthy(The Loopie App song/moment) . But despite these minor flaws, this movie is a triumph. A celebration. Performances by the cast were terrific . Dulquer is a capable leading man(despite his limited acting range). Nithya Menon was terrific and frighteningly real. But it's Prakash Raj and Leela Samson who steals the show as the older couple . The film moves to a different when they are in the frame. Overall, a beautiful movie that will appeal to the classes.

A well made movie. Much better than some of Mani Ratnam's recent work.

The movie however didn't quite create an impact like Roja, Anjali, Bombay, Iruvar or some of his past movies had for me. That is not to say this isn't a movie worth watching.

The direction, the youthful theme and the cinematography were good. A simple and well told story. All the actors gave a good performance, among which Dulquer Salmaan and Prakash Raj (in the character role)stood out for me. The music was pleasant and well suited to the film, yet only a couple of songs stood out for me.

Romance is Mani Ratnam's strong forte and his touch is evident in the movie. A nice watch.

I have watched almost all Mani sir's films. OK Kanmani, in my view neither the best nor the worst among them. It deals with the contemporary life styles in Metro cities in India. Mani ratnam has studied them well and portrayed in his own way to make OKK.

Some of my views about the film:

Music- One or two tracks are soothing but not all. This is just an observation based on bollywood songs that ARR has made recently. Screen play and dialogs - I liked it !!! Acting- Even being malayalees, both lead actors shined with their good tamil pronunciations. Acting skills were absolutely fantastic. The supporting roles by Prakash raj and his wife in film are commendable.

Overall verdict: Fresh, modern with not-so-melodramatic tail from India's one of the best Director. Go and enjoy the weekend, you won't be disappointed.

All others would have discussed on the storyline by now, I would like to put in my views on the film.

Iam a very big Fan of Mani sir, If I was in Films I would have respected him as mu Guru.

Main Plot : A treatment on Living together Relationship, Something very much contemporary and modern. But story telling was very much in old pattern. There was lot of scope for including more surprises in the screenplay. We could predict the flow of scenes and the climax easily. we lost that thrill of watching a modern movie Dialogues: Same as other Mani sirs Films, Hope he tries something new. ................

Performances : The casting was very much apt. specially the Prakash raj sir and his wife character. Dilquer Salman could some what pull of but expect more from him, especially being the son of a great Actor. Nithya Menon is a darling to see on the screen, she suits to the Role to the core. No other Character remained in my mind after coming out the theater.

The only superb features of the Film that keep lingering in my mind is the superb Background score, more than average Songs and Splendid Cinematography. Iam not sure how much of the Film was shot in real scenarios or in sets. If it was in sets , then it was an awesome job

Mani Ratnam is one of the premier film makers in India who tried to change the definition of entertainment in our films.Be it his mass flick Dalapathi,romantic Sakhi or Mounaragam,biopic Iruvur or Nayagan,they have always been engaging and touching despite their performance at box-office.But he seem to lose his touch since a couple of films.Now he has gone back to his forte(actually basics) and has come up with OK Bangaram.Let us see whether Mani succeeded this time and is OK Bangaram is cool enough in this hot summer.

Plot: The plot is not an out of the box idea.It is a simple story of two like minded youngsters who happen to fall in love but do not believe in marriage(for their own reasons).They move together and begin to live in relationship.Where the life takes them forms the crux of the story.......

Performances:Its Nitya Menon's show all the way.She has carried most of the film on her shoulders.Her cute expressions and smile,for sure,will not leave you for sure for a long time. Dulqer is also equally good.He is vibrant in that character.Nani's dubbing best suits him.I am sure that you will like to remember them as Adhi and Tara.Prakash Raj and Leela Samson(renowned classical dancer made her debut with this film) are very good in their well written roles.Other actors are adequate.

Screenplay & Direction: I feel screenplay is the major reason for the failure of Mani's earlier flicks.This time he seem to have taken extra care in this aspect.Though it becomes slow at times,it picks up at the right time and keeps you engaging.Coming to direction...One can simply say our Vintage Mani is back.He got almost every thing right.The scene in which the leads communicate for the first time in church show his thoughts are so fresh as that of a guy in teens. His way of blending the story of Ganapathi and Bhavani's timeless love in the main plot is interesting.How can one comment about the framing of one whose shot selection is so good as Sachin Tendulkar. Brilliant.........

Technical Department:Music by A.R.Rehaman is extraordinary.Though he is not at the best of his form in the recent years,he preserved his best for his guru.All songs are well captured.After a very long time,heard blissful lyrics in a dubbed version of a movie.Thanks to Sirivenella.ARR's BGM is also terrific.He became soul to some of the scenes.D.O.P has done a breath-taking job.No doubt P.C.Sree Ram is called as 'Master'.Whenever P.C.Sree Ram and Mani join hands visuals are taken to next level.Take my bow Sree Ram Sir.Editing by Sreekar Prasad is good in songs and decent in total.VFX during the opening credits needs a special mention.Dialogues are passable.Art work is good.

Final Word:The film also have its share of flaws.The film's block point is very weak and it also looks like the film runs on episodes.The Screenplay is dragging at times but ARR and Nitya make up for that.This is definitely not the best of Mani Ratnam.But this can be called as his come back after a series of duds.Do watch the film in theaters to have a scintillating experience of perfect blend of music,visuals and acting.Definitely,you will come out with smile on your face.This BANGARAM is pure gold.............

‪O Kadhal Kanmani‬ - This is how an ace director returns back to form and hit backs at his critics to show that he is here to stay. So here again he is back with a lovely, fresh, contemporary tale on present day love and relationships set in a beautiful backdrop. It is amazing to realize that how a single filmmaker can study and make a movie for every generation he was in.

Cast wise, super cute acting by the limited yet talented cast with some snappy humorous dialogues. Once again Mani Ratnam, the master he is, shows more importance to the female lead and has made Nithya Menon portray a stronger character which in some ways looks many steps above the male lead - something which is very rare in present day cinema. Dulquer keeps up with the practical role of a jolly good modern day youth and succeeds in making heads turn with his acting. PrakashRaj puts in all his seasoned acting experience and it was indeed a joy to see him doing a loving elderly role, away from all the typical roles that he usually plays. The biggest surprise however was Leela Samson - who shows no signs of fear and flaws for a person facing a movie camera for the first time. Together, this older couple forms the crux of the movie and I wish this sweet loving pair will remain in people's minds for a long time.

As someone already remarked, it is kind of a contest between A.R.Rahman and P.C.Sreeram as the movie starts unfolding. Except 2 songs, all the others were utilized as a background track which made it way cooler and memorable than expected. Special mention to a soundtrack which was a fusion of Carnatic song and modern hip-hop score - which I guess must have been Mani's idea of combining both the worlds. Taking a bow to ‪P.C.Sreeram‬ sir & Thalaivar ‪A.R.Rahman‬ for breaking their limits every time to give a rich feel and goosebumps with their incredible effort.

In a nutshell, OK Kanmani is a beautiful, poetic tale through which Mani Ratnam has carved his niche and shown his class again. I just wish that they had trimmed the length of a few scenes. Yet, he has successfully taught a lesson to present day movie makers on how a romantic modern day movie should be weaved with his trademark screenplay and visuals. And finally, he is back in the game big time! Hope his magic continues in his further movies in other genres as well!

Its been a while since a movie has left me with so much warmth inside. Its simple story of love that is challenging conventions. The story itself, although simple has a lot of depth to it and the actors really bring it to life. Although he challenges conventions Mani brings it a full circle back to the fact that marriage although flawed in someways is the epitome of unity between 2 people in love and that sometimes you have to just jump in instead of finding faults.

And the soundtrack for once seems to have found perfect amalgamation with the movie itself. It really adds to the emotions that is driving the storyline. And the fact that there isn't the usually stereotypical bad guy is refreshing.

For anyone who wants the feel-good warmth should definitely watch this movie. My only peeve was the slightly off dubbing. But other than that at the end all I wanted to do was to listen to the songs over and over again. Watch it to judge for yourself.

I do wonder what is that in Maniratnam movies, which makes them a hit. It is the ability to portray subtle moments of life, and this time in OK Kanmani, Maniratnam does it again. It is easy to bring action or sentiments or masala into a movie, but to bring subtlety of emotions is a tough task, but it is the task that pours abundance of life into the characters etched into OK Kanmani.

AR Rahman's music feels fresh throughout the movie, be it the BGM or the songs and Vairamuthu's lyrics add much needed poetic touch to the love story, taking it one notch higher.

Salman, Nitya menon, Prakash Raj and Leela samson bring in life to their characters and it is always a joy to see Prakash Raj on screen, especially in characters that you know he can essay with flamboyance.

The good thing about OKK is dialogs, for there are no lengthy dialogs, but the weak point of OKK is also its dialogs. Sometimes it seems to be artificial, unrealistic, lifeless but definitely poetic. Mani needs to concentrate more on this department and i personally believe that was the reason why his earlier movies did not do well.

Whenever you see an elderly pair or characters on screen, they portray a typical stereotyped uncle-aunties who are full of jokes in the first half and full of advices to the younger generation in the second half. But OKK breaks the stereotype in the well etched roles of Ganapathy uncle and Bhavani Aunty. Hats off to Maniratnam for braking this stereotype.

One more great thing which cannot go unnoticed is the usage of lights and cinematography. Maniratnam and lights is a clichéd joke, but OKK is colorful and bright visual treat.

Overall the movie is fresh, Crisp and easy fare.

After Kadal This is the next Maniratnam 's Film This Movie is a Love-Romance Genre Movie

Plus points

• Music - Dulquer Salam - Cinematography - Nitya Menon - Prakash Raj

Minus Points

• small Story Line - Second Half Boring - Too Much Screenplay during Aunty Search In Second Half - Easy Climax

'OK Bangaram' is a romantic drama with Mani-style humour sprinkled. As his style goes, his heroines surprise us with their humorous repartee. Nithya Menon's Tara is no exception. An architect with radical feminist persuasions, she can sometimes outwit her man. Dulquer Salmaan (better known to the Telugu audience as Mammooty's son) strikes the right chemistry with the well-established name. They graduate from their previous outings (Ustad Hotel and 100 Days of Love) as PC Sreeram's lovely lens capture the sizzle of the kind seen in 'Ishq' (the lighting is different, but Nithya's presence gives a sense of deja vu).

Ya this is what Mr. MANI RATNAM can do with his script. Simply Amazing Creation ,Is not a film but a complete Living experience .. I almost felt I was with them... Mr.MANI RATNAM Hats off to you. MR.PC SRIRAM...What a way to Handle the Camera Sir...I felt this was your First film as Cinematographer... You are a Magic behind the Camera....Lyrics and Dialogues ,...not a single word or Line wasted...

AR RAHMAN ...SIR you are a true magic for the Film...you have made your appearance in this film in a very strong and powerful way...!

Overall this movie will make me watch it again and again....Lovely artwork...Its a very carefully crafted artwork.This movie deserves an Oscar...and The National Award for the Two wonderful and Adorable Guys.. Aadhi and Tara...Guided buy the Beautiful characters...Ganapathy and Bhavani...

Okay let's put this one straight, with all the hype and hoopla going around in the media and few +ve reviews (not sure from where), being Mani's fan myself, this one is an utter disappointment.

The songs and picturization are off, characters haven't been sketched well which usually is strength of Mani's film. The screenplay is all over the place and most of the scenes are from his previous films, so nothing new in that sense. No chemistry between the couple, Nithya Menon is worst part of the film. Read a a lot of them rejected the lead actors roles but surely shouldn't have been her. Had it been someone else, probably the movie would have done better. The decent part though are Prakash Raj and Leela Sampson (given their roles) and wish the movie was more about them. Prakash Raj will surely go down as one of the legends of Indian cinema.

Please avoid wasting your time, money and energy. This one will go down as Mani's worst films and surely the end of an era.

I can promise this movie is going to stay young for a decade from now - MINIMUM!

Starting frame one with the animated game in title cards, there is freshness till the end card, a whole hearted thanks to the cinematographer. Mani Ratnam proves again a master of the screen play. Beautiful flawless performances captured in best possible way with the extra- ordinary BGM with songs, Needless to say AR Rahman has given feet taping tunes and life giving BGM to the movie- this movie is completely lively and all the qualities to make your day.

Should watch feel good movie for sure PERIOD!

"O Kadhal Kanmani is something of a greatest-hits package. Barring a handful of scenes, everything is organic, everything fits. OKK is an unapologetic upper-class movie. We don't want all films to be like this one. But given the mortal fear our directors have of openly courting this upper-class audience, it's nice to have one of these films, once in a while." mani sir exactly picking current youth pulse. Title card is simply awesome and it's new from other tamil movies. Adhi character is quite romance and he is always active person. Tara is queen of this film she looking charm and pretty. Some simple expression and dialogues highlights of this film. Totally mani sir made classic and epic film.he is back

OK kanmani-epic

Arguably, the Best Romantic movie of 2015 and trend setting one too. The Big Guns Maniratnam, A.R.Rahman & P.C. Sreeram come together to deliver current love trend happening in India. The Lead Pair Dulqueer Salman & Nithya Menon third movie combo brings the blockbuster movie, Performance wise Nithya menon will outscore Dulqueer for sure, but both has given their best till date. Do not forget Prakash raj and Leela Samson role which is the back bone of the movie. Both of them pulled it with ease. When comes to P.C Sreeram, mind blowing visuals with minimum light and he is making sure to give your eyes all beautiful stuffs, it may be the characters in the movie or the surroundings. Mani Sir making deserves a big credit, always he is the man who is best in it. Editing is Crisp and neat. Music - A.R.Rahman sir, what to say mind- blowing and there is something fresh and to explore and to learn from this man for sure. BGM is good. Nithya Menon (Tara) will be the dream girl for many boys out there in Chennai and other cities of the Tamilnadu. Dulqueer Def a Dream boy for many girls. To Sum it up, watch it in Theaters before it get vanished and definitely must buy DVD movie in your collections. Hats off to the entire team.