Haiku Movie Review:

Romance manages to remain charmingly enigmatic even during the proliferation of relationship literature and coaching. Call love a divine spark or evolution's gift, indiscriminate labels and colour-coded flags to classify behaviours still couldn't convincingly crack the puzzle that is the individual human being. Yuvaraj Chinnasamy's Haiku is an uneven yet warm exploration of this puzzle. Imagine being comforted by someone who eases your fears of not having it all figured out, calms your anxieties, and reassures you as you stumble while trying to overcome your flaws. Haiku does that with its flawed protagonist, who might mirror you in varying degrees.

Haiku begins with a software company's team lead, Mano (Aegan), giving a ride to his intern Nivetha (Femina George), who is getting late to the office. For some reason, this spirited woman is attracted to this poker-faced man and gets him to tell her about his college love story during the ride. The film is about what this love story does to Mano and Nivetha.

Two things the makers seem particularly clear about are their refusal to take their protagonist's side and their unwillingness to rationalise his flawed mindset. This consistency works in the film's favour. Cinema has often struggled to portray a hero who simply doesn't know better and, consequently, behaves foolishly. Troubled childhoods and broken homes are readily made to bear the cross for a protagonist's actions. Not to dismiss the role these circumstances play in shaping a person, but sometimes, the truth might simply be that the person is an idiot. Except for a scene in which Mano expresses displeasure over his father being a barber, Haiku shows little interest in probing his family dynamics or domestic circumstances.

Yuvaraj and his co-writer Hariharan Ram demonstrate a sound understanding of the solid conflicts that underpin the love stories. Similar to how the "troubled family" angle takes the bullet for someone's problematic behaviour, romantic dramas are also hauled over for condoning certain actions only to arrive at a happy ending artificially. Haiku fortunately insists that its hero is made to confront his mistakes without unduly punishing him. Equally likeable is the film's oblique dig at the tendency to have relationships sorted out perfectly. By emphasising the need to keep learning and unlearning, communicating with one's partner, and changing for the better for the person one loves, Haiku restores some of the charm and conviction to the very idea of love.

Cast: Aegan, Sridevi, Femina George

Director: Yuvaraj Chinnasamy

Haiku also explores complex ideas such as caste discrimination and the male tendency to assume a protective role in a relationship. The narration does not resort to overt sermons on these issues. Instead, it subverts these ideas to generate engaging conflicts. With the first half hovering between average and below average, these writing choices provide the much-needed lift to the second half. Once Mano's breakup receives a deeper exploration, the drama rarely loses its momentum. Some of the film's other writing pleasures lie in the way it incorporates Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha's 96 at crucial junctures. This is an interesting thematic choice, too. Every time the 2018 film enters the narrative, Mano undergoes an emotional transformation, unlike the protagonist of Premkumar's film. A beautiful scene in the second half illustrates how, even after making considerable progress in helping someone unlearn a toxic mindset once shared, there can still be blind spots left to confront and lessons left to learn.

The film, however, is not without its pitfalls. The decision to withhold the full extent of the conflict initially adds intrigue and lends greater weight to the second half. However, it does not adequately explain why Mano leaves certain aspects of his past undisclosed. Is he reluctant to share them with someone he barely knows, or is he deliberately concealing them? This ambiguity raises fundamental questions about his character. A clearer understanding of why some essential aspects of the relationship remain unaddressed would have strengthened the writing. Moreover, while the film effectively conveys that people deserve to be loved on their own terms rather than through the lens of preconceived notions, this idea sits uneasily alongside what Nivetha experiences in her previous relationship. These doubts could have been dispelled had the audience been given a glimpse into Nivetha as a person, beyond her identity as a woman in love. That, too, is where the makers miss the mark. Femina George and Sridevi are terrific, effortlessly overshadowing Aegan. His poker face serves the film's purpose of having Mano schooled by Femina's Nivetha and Sridevi's Pavazhakodi at different points in his life. However, the same restraint also limits the scope of his performance, making it difficult to assess his acting range.

For all its flaws, Haiku touches upon a fundamental truth about human nature: striving for perfection can be as torturous as grappling with one's imperfections. The world would be a far less liveable place if those still figuring out life were deemed irredeemable based on preconceived notions. The first half may take time to find its footing, but the film eventually discovers its emotional rhythm in the messy business of loving and being loved. Romantic dramas often revolve around second chances, and Haiku is no exception. What makes it special is its suggestion that such chances need not be confined to romantic relationships, they can also be extended to oneself.