Ok Bangaram

Ok Bangaram, the name doesnt lure you into watching it...i:e until you know it has Nithya Menen, a dynamic actor.
Mani Ratnam is back with the genre in which he has proved himself over and over again.
Casting Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen as the lead pair, Mani Ratnam’s magic works again in this dubbed version of the Tamil film, O Kadhal Kanmani. The movie speaks about live-in relationships and the fear of commitment in the young these days.
What can be truly appreciated is the sensitivity of Mani Ratnam vis-a-vis the young generations’ perception of life. He is able to capture the freshness and energy of the young and transfer it to the movie. He shows that despite a reluctance to commit, the young, when given a freedom of choice, are equally vulnerable and care for deep and meaningful relationships.
There is a very thin story line… it is just about how people like living without committing or having to handle responsibilities. The lead pair lives with Prakash Raj and, his wife in the movie, Leela Samson. Despite a complete change in body language by Prakash Raj to portray an older person, the chasm in age between the two shows (16 years) on screen. The first few interactions had me thinking if he was addressing his older sister, mother or wife. Prakash Raj as a supporting and caring husband of a wife in stage 2 of Alzheimer’s forces the young, carefree couple to rethink on their relationship.
Though a lot of thought and brisk editing has led to a rivetting  first half, the second half looked like the director himself was in as much a quandary as the couple as to where to take the relationship. The dragging story with its clichéd end was definitely a yawn.
The pluses are the absence of the so-called humor prevalent in all Tamil/Telugu movies, no group dances, and no dishum-dishums. There is just a blink-and-miss, half-baked idea of a guy following Nithya in the beginning. The character unexplainably vanishes as quickly too.
All-in-all, watch the movie for its fresh and energetic execution, the brilliant acting by Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen; the chemistry between the two and yet another brilliant Ratnam-Rehman collaboration .
A 3/5 for me.