SYNOPSIS (by GSC) A tale of a young man and the journey of Love in his life to understand the meaning of eternal love and its purpose.
(by popcorn.app) A 22-year-old man dies young after an accident by the Grim Reaper, who is still getting used to his new job position. To cover up for the mistake, an ex-Cupid gives the man`s soul two more chances to live in another dimension to make up for his previous life being cut short.
REVIEW (non-spoiler) The Grim Reaper character right away reminded me of the two similar characters in the recent Spilt Gravy On Rice. Both versions seem to be erroneous and slipping up, mainly I think for the story to happen. In Spilt Gravy On Rice, it allows the character 'Bapak' to have extra time to make amends and for the audience to ride along his story. Similar to Adai Mazhai Kaalam, the protagonist named, Suriyan bargained for the trip to go back to his past and forward in time to live his future.
It is a modern love myth that aptly involves, in this case, Hinduism. Yet, others can also relate to the divine theme as the celestials will always have the power over us to determine our fate regardless. Director and writer, Karthik Shaamalan have arranged the multi timelines so well that you will not struggle at all in going with it. This reminds me of the 2019 film called Metro Maalai which also revolves around the heavens and a normal couple in love.
The play of symbols connects the narrative to the divine subtext in many cases. Their character names, drawings, building names, and photos are on the walls and decorations. Their significance points to the movement of the celestial bodies that affect life on Earth. in this case, it is of Suriyan (The Sun) and his love, Chandra (The Moon).
The mother archetype is at play again in this one as recently as Ma, I Love You and also in Harum Malam (although slightly in a different context) but shows how it determines the child's character.
Adai Mazhai Kaalam means 'rainy season' which allegorically means hard times. Yet we all have to put our heads up and live through it. The term 'Carpe Diem' or 'Seize the day' that is been taught by the lecturer to Suriyan brings me to the mid-90s when I first heard of the term in a song by Dreamtheater. The lecturer character, Prof Mayilvaganam said about the importance of living in the present time. Most of us regret too much about the past and worry too much about the future without having time to really live the present life. It is also what the ending in Everything, Everywhere All At Once means to me when Michelle Yeoh's character sits on her chair and looks around with a new pair of eyes after her long trip through time and space reality. She is living in the present - or Vartamana in Hinduism.
As Joseph Campbell puts it, “Eternity is not future or past. Eternity is a dimension of now. It is a dimension of the human spirit –– which is eternal. Find that eternal dimension in yourself, and you will ride through time and throughout the whole length of your days.”
Like 'Look At Me, Touch Me, Kiss Me', this is an escape ride out from your generic and cliched love story. A great one for the coming Valentine's Day!
Trailer:
