TAMIL
Rhythm
Arjun’s best
Arjun, who has been typecast as the action hero, makes a clean sweep from this image. In Rhythm, he plays a widower in love with a widow. Director Vasanth has woven a good screenplay to bring about a good play of emotions between two matured adults who need each other but are in no hurry to jump into another relationship. Meena too plays the role of a widow with ease.

Arjun, a photo-journalist working for Indian Express in Mumbai (lots of scenes have been shot at the Express Towers) comes across Meena during a journey in the suburban train. Knowing that she is a Tamilian and that she works in the bank where he has an account, Arjun tries to make friends with her but she snubs him. When a bag gets robbed in the train, it becomes a reason for bringing the two together as Arjun helps her out with the cops.

She visits Arjun’s house and meets his parents and also learns that he was earlier working as a bomb disposal squad chief and had married Jothika. When he realised that his wife was always tensed because of his job, worrying about anything untoward happening to Arjun during his job, he quits his job. Away attending a marriage, when Jothika hears of the good news, she boards a train to return to Arjun in Chennai. But she dies in the train accident. Coincidentally, Meena too loses her husband in the same train accident. Her husband, Ramesh Aravind, a bank employee was involved with the activities of an orphanage and wished to adopt a child.

Meena now lives with the adopted son. The child gets closer to Arjun and taking a cue from this, Arjun’s father suggests marriage between Meena and Arjun but she turns it down as she has still not gotten over the death of her husband. Arjun stays away from her and the kid. A rape attempt by a next door neighbour makes her realise that living alone in Mumbai without a male help is difficult and asks Arjun to meet her at the railway station to put forth a suggestion of marriage. At this juncture, her orthodox brahmin mother-in-law, played by Laxmi, who had thrown out her son for marrying a non-brahmin comes and requests Meena to return to her. Meena does not have the heart to say no.

Two years later, on an assignment, Arjun again meets Meena there. When Laxmi learns that the two are in love, unites them.
Fine performances from the lead pair with AR Rahman’s music and good camerawork by Vinod especially the Nadhi Nadhiye ... song (part of the film has been done by Arthur Wilson) adds to the entertainment value. Commercial elements like Ramya Krishna doing a song are added on but do not fit into the storyline. A much more tighter screenplay would have made the film more slick. A feather in the cap for Arjun.

Ayyappa Prasad