For what's a 4-star film in its political ideology (and progressivism), NN felt very anti-climactic to me, and hence, I'm going with 3.5. The whole stretch with Shabeer Kallarackal (though he's a wonderful actor) was bizarrely staged. I get that it was supposed to be bizarre in the first place, but it failed to evoke the right emotion in me when the rest of the film seamlessly managed that.
Pa Ranjith's NN is more of a statement on love than a love story. It asks relevant questions on modern love, answers some of them (subtly and extravagantly), and leaves the rest for audiences to interpret themselves and make room for improvement and inclusion. Dushara Vijayan's performance (as René) is splendid, never holding herself back from expressing exactly how she feels about everything - be it love, music, food, or societal discrimination. Boldly written and performed, René is certainly among my favorite Pa Ranjith protagonists. Kalaiyarasan comes next in line for portraying a biased, pre-conditioned person who turns over a new leaf eventually. His transformation is the one that feels complete.
Kalidas Jayaram and the rest of the ensemble are okayish, relegated to characters that are less memorable. Some LGBTQ representation is added as well, but they serve little in forwarding the film's plot, as the theme of the play the theater group eventually settles on, has little to do with queer love. But it's wonderful to see them in the film nonetheless, especially in those discussions about love (and its politics) early on. Tenma's music is also an essential ingredient that kept me interested all through. The best stretch in the film was the subversion of endogamy in a scene where Kalaiyarasan's character goes home to visit his dying granny.
