Modern Love Chennai is Love… Unadulterated! Wait, that doesn’t mean it’s all about the dreamy love that all of us wish to have in our lives. It is laced with betrayal, extra-marital affair, separation, and everything that you do not want love to bring along. But most of the time, before love, nightmares find you. You have to go through heart breaks, and if not heart breaks, obstacles that challenge your love every now and then. Modern Love Chennai has spoken about it all.
The first episode Lalagunda Bommaigal revolves around Shobha, a girl working in a biscuit factory who is being cheated twice before finding true love in a man she hates. While the first time, we see her hospitalised for an abortion, the second time a guy that even we, the audience, consider sweet and perfect for her, turns out to be a creep. Towards the end, she finds true love. How and when that I am not going to reveal here. That’s the sweetest part of this story where we are left wondering on what basis we should judge a person especially when it comes to choosing a life partner. Who is right and who is wrong for us? Should we even be judgemental in such cases or simply go with the flow?
The second episode is my favourite. Imaigal is the story of a young couple who has to make a decision about continuing as a couple or parting ways as the life ahead isn’t as wonderful as they might have imagined it to be. Reason? Devi is diagnosed with an incurable disease due to which she will slowly but surely lose her eyesight. Though the Doctor has given her ten years time, the couple has to decide early whether they are ready to face the challenges together. Luckily, Nithya agrees to marry Devi regardless of the situation. The couple then gets married and are seen living their ‘happily ever after’ when Devi gives birth to their first child. Right when the child is born, we see Devi’s eyesight getting weaker. Worsening eyesight and increasing responsibilities starts frustrating Devi so much so that there comes a day where she speaks to Nithya as if he is least bothered about her. This leads to a fight between the couple where we see Nithya walk out on Devi leaving her in tears in the middle of the road. What happens next is heart-warming to watch. Imaigal is a different story. This is what great writing and brilliant storytelling is all about. It changes your perspective towards life and teaches you to live happily and in a content manner, come what may.
The third episode, Kaadhal Enbadhu Kannula Heart Irukkura Emoji is about a young girl who fantasises about love all the time. Thanks to cinema that glorifies and glamorises romance. So, all she wants in life is a boyfriend, from a very young age. She gets one, in fact, she gets one at every stage of her life. But none turn out to be the right partners. Finally, her parents find her a groom and she settles down with the man who matches her ideal partner expectations from the fantasy romance. Though the episode was a bit boring when it began, the end changed the way we feel about this story. You can sit through it feeling absolutely nothing about what the protagonist goes through in the story but the end makes you believe in fairy tales and romance that is unreal and out of this world.
The fourth episode, Margazhi is a sweet teenage love story. Nothing special about it but the way two lonely young individuals open up and start loving life once again after meeting each other is satisfying to see. But life happens and there comes a time when they have to part ways and the future looks uncertain. Still, this teenage love makes them accept life gracefully and start participating in its events.
The fifth episode, Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal is about two strangers, Ravi and Rohini, who meet in a metro, accidentally engage in a short conversation and eventually fall in love. Love unfolding between two middle-aged individuals is refreshing. As time passes, we are told that Ravi is married and has two kids. Though Ravi’s first marriage was also a love marriage, he doesn’t feel the same for his wife anymore and decides to settle down with Rohini. As he talks about divorce and his affair with Rohini, his wife, Revathi invites Rohini home to discuss the future.
Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal is a mature subject and is dealt with compassion. More than the guy, the story speaks to us about two women involved in this relationship with one man. Where one woman’s love marriage is now turned into a one-sided relationship, on the other hand, there is a divorcee who is ready to accept this guy’s family with kids and start a new life with him. How these two women go through this situation, taking care of each others’ emotions, understanding what the other woman must be going through and handling her sensibly and sensitively is what this fifth episode is all about. It feels stretched a bit but that bit can be ignored.
The sixth episode, Ninaivo Oru Paravai is a misfit in this series. The creators of this episode tried to be artsy when it comes to storytelling but have drastically failed. It’s a twisted tale which is supposed to be a love story but is only sexual in all possible ways.
Except for the last episode, Modern Love Chennai is a collection of love stories you would want to watch whether you are a romantic at heart or not. Because these love stories are very much grounded and based in reality.