Nitham Oru Vaanam: A simple tale of healing from heartbreaks

Director: Ra Karthik
Cast:  Ashok Selvan, Ritu Varma, Aparna Balamurali, and Shivathmika Rajashekar

Language: Tamil

Every time we return from our travels, we are a changed person. The people of the new cities that you visit, their food, culture, history, and the plethora of stories that you hear change you. It is for this reason that traveling has always been a healing experience. It tapes together the broken parts of your heart and allows you space, and time to heal. This is the space that director Ra Karthik has chosen to occupy in his film Nitham Oru Vaanam. He has also taken the aid of two heartwarming stories to support the lead actor’s journey.

The lead character Arjun experiences heartbreak on the day of his wedding because his wife-to-be calls his wedding off on the day. She realizes that she is still in love with her ex, and doesn’t want to make a mistake in choosing her partner. This not only breaks Arjun’s heart but plays havoc with his self-esteem as well. This is also the reason why he gets extremely frustrated and distrustful of people around him. Not only his colleagues, but his parents face the brunt of his frustration and anger as well.

The best solution for him at this point would be to take a break. Maybe even travel to a new city, heal and rejuvenate before he gets back to the everyday grind. He is currently suffocated, and imprisoned in his everyday life. It is as stiff as the shirts that he wears and his non-negotiable attitude doesn’t do much to help him either. We are left to gather all of this from his behavior. He needs to free himself from the shackles of being heartbroken, and a good family friend suggests that he take a trip. The only problem is that this man cannot sleep anywhere but in his bed. In fact, he is booked a honeymoon in Chennai’s ECR to be able to return home every night. So someone as set in his way as Arjun only finds it harder to shake off the heartbreak and move on.

This is where two heartwarming stories come into play. The doctor hands over two short stories that she had written to him, and requests him to read them. She is aware of his love for books and baits him into taking the first step. It is only after he goes through most of the book that he realizes missing pages in the end. In an attempt to learn what happened, and assuage his curiosity, the young man builds courage and steps out of his comfort zone.

Now, other than how Ra Karthik embedded these two stories, the film is fairly simple. It doesn’t attempt to embellish too much, and even the travel shots, featuring Arjun and his new friend Subhadra (Ritu Varma), don’t attempt to impress the audience with the visuals. It is not about breathtaking visuals, but about the two lead characters of the film. If there are any majestic landscapes that the film does feature, it is all through the eyes of its lead characters. It reiterates the fact that the film is about people and their experiences.

It also portrays an interesting relationship between Subhadra and Arjun. It initially starts as friends who are both curious about the ending of an interesting short story. As time passes, their relationship develops and there is depth to their friendship. They share their weaknesses with each other, the story, and to a certain extent, their pain as well. The two also, in a way, help each other heal. Even the romantic turn in their relationship is subtle and when it does arrive it is beautiful because it is rooted in wholesomeness. If the film has any flaws, it is the absence of reveling in this simplicity. While the performances are convincing and Ashok Selvan does a good job of portraying his roles, it is not really something that you would cherish. It is more of a momentary pleasure that remains forgotten after the said moment has passed. This remains true for the other cast members of the film as well.

Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with a special focus on identity and gender politics.

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