In a mostly quotidian life, a fair share of adventure and risk mostly comes with falling in love and facing its unpredictabilities. Debut director Sathish Krishnan’s Kiss convinces us that predictability in love life can be a big issue. The film uses the power of premonition to move its story, but it never goes the usual route of using it to show death. While it does explore heavier themes, the film does it with a lighter tone. The concept of premonition or extrasensory perception (ESP) is typically used in thrillers and action films to heighten tension.
It is refreshing to see this aspect being used in a rom-com instead. Nelson (Kavin), son of a single mother, Daisy (Devayani), with whom he and his brother Jason run the Daisy Mart supermarket with, discovers a book with his name on its cover. From then on, whenever he sees a couple kissing, he can see their future and where the relationship will take them. Weirdly, he doesn't see a happy ending in anyone's story. He realises that this phenomenon began with him coming into possession of the book, but he is neither able to lose it nor the 'power' he gets through it. The mystery of the book and how that affects his love life forms the rest of the story.
Most of the jokes land, thanks to the protagonist's name. You can't help letting out a chuckle or two whenever Thirunavukkarasan (VTV Ganesh) calls Nelson as 'Nelsumaa', 'Nelsukutty', and 'Nelsa', even before he delivers the joke. Before the release, Kavin revealed on his social media handle that his character's name in Kiss is a tribute to his mentor/filmmaker Nelson Dilipkumar. What better tribute to the quirky filmmaker than to place his name inventively in the right scenes to evoke laughter? Sathish Krishnan's build-up towards Nelson and Sarah's (Preethi Asrani) first kiss was equally effective, and it felt as though it was the first confrontation between the hero and the villain of an action film. All thanks to the clever choice of making Sarah a dancer by profession. There is a tension whenever both Nelson and Sarah embrace each other to dance. A liplock in a romantic film usually comes at a mellow moment, but here, you wait anxiously to know what the future holds for them.
Director: Satish Krishnan
Cast: Kavin, Preethi Asrani, VTV Ganesh, RJ Vijay, Devayani, Rao Ramesh
The second half of Kiss takes its protagonist to the threshold of transformation. With Sathish not letting go of the tone he maintains in the first half, we really don't know if Nelson is a changed person. Not a single subplot, based on Nelson's visions, has a deep or emotional core. Take, for instance, the episode of a minor character who threatens to end his life if he is not united with his love interest before her forced wedding. The episode teems with unearned goofiness. The laughs in that segment come at the cost of a proper character arc. But the positive aspect of these subplots is that the screenplay effectively breaks away from the typical story moment of the hero and the heroine running towards each other. Speaking of characters, everyone was strictly one-note. Nelson runs a shopping market, and Sarah runs a dance school; their happy days and sad days are solely determined by their relationship status and nothing else. RJ Vijay and VTV Ganesh are the only supporting actors optimally utilised. The potential of Devayani, Kowsalya, and Rao Ramesh is wasted. Their characters are given a lone scene to flourish. They undoubtedly do a good job at it, but that was never enough.
What holds this fortress is not just the unique screenplay or laughs, but a not-in-your-face message that kindness and love given will always eventually return. You tend to take comfort in the reiteration of this old-school idea of Dharmam Thalaikaakum. Though the incidents that lead to Nelson’s change aren't satisfactorily written, the fact that the screenplay didn’t make it easy for its protagonist to end up with his love was refreshing. Sathish Krishnan has managed to deliver a safe, light, and breezy entertainer, navigating through a bumpy road that fortunately doesn't undo it. Kiss feels like a peck after being teased with a smooch. You are indeed left wanting more, but the peck leaves a smile on your face nonetheless.