Written : Mukesh Manjunath, Sarada Ramanathan
Story : Mukesh Manjunath
Produced : Vishnu Vishal, Raahul, KV Durai,Javid
Starring : Rudra, Vishnu Vishal, Mithila Palkar
Imagine a love child of Lover and Nilavukku En Mel Ennadi Kobam. That's Oho Enthan Baby.
The film's core — two individuals with a troubled past falling in love only to realise their nurture has given rise to flaws in their nature that may not be easy to overcome — is something that has the raw and edgy undertones of the former, but director
Krishnakumar Ramakumar's breezy-with-a-Gen Z-vibe treatment — opting for broad comedy rather than deeper emotions to explore the romantic misadventures of contemporary youngsters — reminds you of the latter.Its protagonist Ashwin (Rudra) is someone who, having only seen the constant
bickering of his parents (Vijayasarathi and Kasthuri), develops his idea of romance from the movies, especially Vaaranam Aayiram, and yearns to find his "Maalini". So, when he meets Meera (Mithila Palkar), she seems to check all the points in his checklist — he senses a spark between them right in
their first meeting, she discovers his strength (the filmmaker in him), initiates the first kiss, and also isn't eager to pick up fights with him. But the dysfunctional dynamics of his parents has also led to him developing certain toxic qualities. And Meera is dealing with a troubled family as well.
Naturally, there's friction at one stage in their relationship, which tears them apart... until film star Vishnu Vishal decides to play Cupid!Oho Enthan Baby's plot developments do make us say, 'Oh so familiar, baby' (a couple of cheeky past romantic episodes, a getaway to a beach destination, a
duplicitous ex-boyfriend, a redemption arc for an abusive character) and the resolutions it offers are too neat for characters who are flawed and scarred, but there is enough freshness in the filmmaking to keep us engaged and overlook the convenient writing (all it takes is one scene for characters to change their stance). But given that
Krishnakumar Ramakumar wants to keep his film clearly in the romcom zone, the comfort food genre of movies, we are able to look past the film's failings (like the not-so-organic manner in which a breakup happens).And the cast — the confident first-timers Rudra and Mithila Palkar, a self-referential Vishnu Vishal, a sporting Mysskin and a dependable Karunakaran — sells the romcom charm.
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