Love Marriage review: Pleasant rom-com that never achieves its full potential

India Today

4 hours ago

When Indian cinema is dominated by action dramas with a newfound love for extreme violence and gore, there's always something soothing about heartwarming dramas. Be it a simple love story or a family drama or a comedy drama, they remind you of the good old times. Director Shanmuga Priyan's 'Love Marriage', a remake of the Telugu film, 'Ashoka Vanmulo Arjuna Kalyanam', has all the elements to be that cutesy film that will leave a smile on your face. Did it succeed in its mission? Let's find out!advertisementRamachandran (Vikram Prabhu) is a 33-year-old bachelor who is waiting to get married. A thorough gentleman, the only progressive man in a family of regressive people, goes through arranged marriage. He, along with his family and extended family, travels to a different town to meet a potential bride, which is followed by his engagement. One meeting is all it takes for Ram to get engaged to Ambika (Sushmitha Bhat) old-school style.As he tries to strike up a conversation with Ambika, she resists, which instils doubts about his decision. However, the Covid-19 lockdown forces Ram's family to stay at Ambika's home. This situation leads Ramchandran to deal with the struggles of managing his budding relationship with Ambika, along with tackling regressive family members, who criticise every move of the bride and her family. advertisement
Director Shanmuga Priyan's 'Love Marriage' has all the ingredients to make a fun-filled family drama that gives a glimpse into the struggles of an arranged marriage. Ram's parents see him as a burden as he has crossed the limit of what is considered as a marriageable age. They agree to find a bride belonging to a different caste. There's a relative who keeps cribbing about everything and another who indulges in alcohol on every occasion.From the bride's side, there's a non-stop jabbermouth uncle and a cute bride's sister to make things interesting. Yet, with all these quirky characters, the film doesn't achieve its full potential. The first half of the film treads smoothly because it doesn't take itself seriously. Though predictable, the story moves forward with the gradual introduction of conflicts, which makes one wonder what's next. But, when the film starts taking itself seriously, it falls prey to redundancy and outdated ideas.With a taut runtime of two hours, 'Love Marriage' still feels stretched because of its overdramatic and convenient turn of events in the second half. The whole stretch featuring Vikram Prabhu's Ramachandran and Meenakshi Dinesh's 'Radha' feels inorganic and forced. However, the film gets the message right - especially when Ram talks about how society pressures people to live and lead a life based on a timeline that everyone follows.advertisementVikram Prabhu is perfect as Ramachandran and the way he portrays the stages of getting to know a girl to becoming her partner is enjoyable. Ambika, as the coy bride, expresses with her eyes. Meenakshi Dinesh looks effervescent in a role that's quite cliched. The film could have done away with the songs and an unfunny cameo by a veteran actor, which added nothing to the story. Ramesh Thilak, Gajaraj and Aruldoss played supporting roles to the best of their abilities.Cinematographer Madhan Christopher's frames show the goodness of the village, while Sean Roldan's music, though soothing, feels jarring at moments.'Love Marriage' is a film that could have become a complete laughter riot given its potential. Nonetheless, it ends up as a predictable family film that reminds you of the early 2000s.- Ends2.5 out of 5 stars for 'Love Marriage'.Must Watch